Dozens of Haitian leaders fly to Jamaica for three days of talks, political negotiations

A high-stakes gathering of Haitian political leaders and civil society personalities got under way Sunday in Jamaica, with current and former Caribbean leaders calling on those present to approach the next three days of dialogue and negotiations with “an open mind” and a willingness to find a compromise to their country’s protracted political crisis.

“Let us commit to try, and keep on trying, until we find a workable solution,” said Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis, who is current chairman of the 15-member Caribbean Community, CARICOM. “Failure equals more suffering and death. So failure cannot be an option. … Let’s keep an open mind and recognize that at the end of the day, you will find a solution.”

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Dubbed the “Kingston Talks,” the CARICOM-led initiative has been in the works for some time and is being aided by Canada and the United States, which up to the last moment was scrambling to ensure Haitians got on a chartered flight on Saturday from Port-au-Prince to Kingston. Frustrated by the ongoing divisions and the lack of a broad consensus on a road map to the country’s governance, both Ottawa and Washington are hoping that the initiative will yield a “Haitian-led solution” to the ongoing crisis, which has put Haqiti on the brink of chaos. On the agenda: security, good governance and elections.

The effort comes nearly two years after the brazen assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, an escalation in deadly violence that has forced more than 165,000 people from their homes, and Haitians arming themselves with machetes to fight back. At the same time, Haiti is facing record hunger, a deadly cholera outbreak and a worsening humanitarian crisis after recent floods and a 5.5 magnitude earthquake led to more deaths and destruction.

The country was already beset by political turmoil and gang violence before Moïse’s July 7, 2021, murder. Since then, it has only gotten worse. The assassinaton created a political vacuum, and in January Haiti found itself with a lack of constitutional order after its last remaining elected officials — 10 senators — left office.

With no president, no parliament and a prime minister appointed by Moïse before his death with no parliamentary approval, Haitians have squabbled over how the country should be governed and who should be in charge. While some have agreed to join with Prime Minister Ariel Henry, others want him out over what they call his “failed governance” and ties to Moïse and his supporters.

If there was such a thing as a perfect solution to the crisis, Davis said, it would have been found by now.

“It is important that we recognize that what we are striving for, may in the end, not be perfect, but will likely be something that, in the immediate term, is effective,” he added. “Something that saves lives; something that brings an end to the killings; something that brings an end to the rapes; something that brings an end to the kidnappings and violence; something that brings an end to the looting, and the robberies, and the gang warfare.”

The three days of scheduled Haitian dialogue with three former Caribbean prime ministers — Perry Christie of The Bahamas, Bruce Golding of Jamaica and Kenny Anthony of St. Lucia —s erving as facilitators in the closed-press discussions, are not the first attempt at getting Haitians to talk among themselves and hatch out a political agreement for governing the country.

Former British diplomat Jonathan Powell has made several trips to Haiti since November, meeting with members of the private sector, the Henry government and the group of civil society leaders who have come together under what’s known as the Montana Accord. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols has also visited Port-au-Prince and met with Haitians in Washington, calling for more compromise, and the United Nations Integrated Political Office in Haiti, working with Canada, France and the U.S., has also facilitated talks.

The U.N came close to getting an agreement between Henry and the former governor of the Central Bank, Fritz Jean, who is part of the Montana Accord. The negotiations went on for several months last year but failed to reach an accord. Jean, who is the designated president of the Montana group, wasn’t invited to Kingston but two other leaders of the group are here.

The possibility of CARICOM succeeding where others have failed will depend on Haitians’ ability to overcome their divisions and to agree on an ultimate goal: to reach a broad political agreement to put the country back on the road to democracy by taking steps towards elections, or to oust Henry, as some here would like, and put in place a new transition government.

Understanding that security remains an issue, a broader political agreement will help, diplomats argue, in selling an intervention plan to the international community. Until now, foreign governments have been reluctant to support calls from the United States, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and Henry to deploy foreign troops in Haiti to help the police combat warring gangs.

Henry, who after much speculation about whether he would attend the talks used his opening remarks to discuss the various efforts his government has made to engage with critics, spoke of forthcoming reforms, like a shakeup in his cabinet and a cleanup in the corruption-laden foreign affairs ministry.

“Everyone knows that no lasting solution for Haiti can come from abroad, nor be imposed by others, whether from CARICOM or elsewhere,” he said. “It is up to us Haitians to find among ourselves, by our own means, this common national project likely to unite us for a rebirth of this nation.”

Haiti is in need of “a national effort” to take the country out of its current crisis, he said, adding. “we have to start once again to become a normal country. It’s high time to start a process that would lead us to free and democratic elections.”

In welcoming the group to Kingston, Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness said he hopes the Haitians who are present have come to the talks with the hope of reaching consensus on holding national elections under appropriate conditions.

Holness visited Haiti in late February, meeting with various individuals to learn more about the political and security crises. His visit came after months of discussions in U.S. and Canadian diplomatic circles about having CARICOM play a larger role in helping break the political logjam in their largest member state.

“During our sessions in Haiti, there was clear consensus that security was an immediate and critical concern. Some also expressed that while security is of paramount concern, more inclusive and broader dialogue was necessary,” Holness said. “You spoke and we listened.”

Holness said Caribbean leaders are conscious that any form of engagement must take into account Haitian perspectives and support Haitian-led solutions.

Though there are a little more than 30 Haitians who responded to the invitation to come to Jamaica, the hope was to have double the number; 30 people were invited and each was allowed to bring one other person. In Haiti, the invitations were criticized because they were written in English and not French, and some of the people invited weren’t necessarily representative of Haitian political life.

Missing from the invitation list were the Protestant Federation and the Roman Catholic Church, both of which carry significant weight in the daily lives of Haitians. A number of notable political figures were not invited or are not represented, while others, including former First Lady and presidential candidate Mirlande Manigat, declined to come. Manigat, who currently heads the High Council of Transition that emerged from a Dec. 21, 2022, agreement between Henry and some political groups, believes that any discussions among Haitians should take place in Haiti.

Holness during the opening said he hoped that by having a “neutral environment” such as Jamaica there can be a breakthrough.

Golding, speaking on behalf of the three former prime ministers tapped by CARICOM to facilitate the talks, said the Kingston negotiations are only the beginning. The group plans to travel to Haiti and will also meet with Haitians living in Canada and the United States.

“These conversations are not starting from scratch,” Golding said. “The dialogue has been ongoing and considerable effort has been made toward developing a framework for transforming the current situation into one of peace and security, constitutionality, credible elections, institution building and perhaps most importantly, creating in the Haitian people. a sense of hope for the future.”