Southern University System Foundation (Southern Foundation)

The purpose of the Summit is to provide a platform for the political factions and Haitian Civil Society to negotiate a permanent solution to the political crisis, and to lay the groundwork for a government of transition that will organize free and fair elections as soon as practicable.

 

The Haitian Diaspora believes that only an agreement negotiated with the participation of all the protagonists will give the new interim government the legitimacy it needs to organize honest, free, and fair elections that will lead the country back to the path of democracy.

 Several  members of Congress, including Congressman, Gregory Meeks, the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee have been invited. The Summit will be facilitated by the highly decorated Lt. General Russell L. Honoré (ret.). The Haiti Unity Summit offers the parties the best opportunity to harmonize their different propositions. It further offers a secure site where all the protagonists can sit down and engage in a constructive dialogue.

 

The international community, notably the U.S. State Department has unequivocally stated that they are willing to support any “Haitian-led solution” that “is inclusive”. As Brian Nichols, the Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere, told the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee “This must be a Haitian-led solution.” The same sentiment was echoed by Kenneth Merten, U.S. Charge d’Affaires in Haiti, who during a local radio interview in Port-au-Prince, said there must be an “An Accord of all the Accords.” A negotiated solution by the parties is the key to lasting peace and security. Consequently, we have invited the major political factions including the Montana Accord, Ariel Accord, Cesco Accord, Akor Lari a, and PEN Accord, in addition to influential members of Haitian civil society and the Haitian Diaspora.

 

To put an end to the prolonged crisis in Haiti, avoid a civil war, and ensure Haitian ownership of a successful outcome, we encourage all political factions to act in good faith by participating in this Summit and focus on what is good for Haiti. The summit is the best way to arrive at a lasting solution to Haiti’s intractable political crisis.