By Clint Chan Tack, www.newsday.co.tt

ON the eve of the 15th CARICOM Inter-Sessional Heads of Government summit in St Kitts/Nevis, the Emancipation Support Committee (ESC) is calling on regional leaders not to recognise Haitian interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue's government and demand the restoration of Jean-Bertrand Aristide as Haiti's "duly elected, legitimate political leader." Addressing a news conference at the ESC's Maraval headquarters, ESC chairman Khafra Kambon declared: "Any Caribbean government which officially recognises this regime will, in effect, be repudiating Caricom's principled call for an international investigation into the ouster of President Aristide."

He hailed the Jamaican government for allowing Aristide and his wife to remain there for ten weeks. Last week, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said TT supported Jamaica's actions where Aristide was concerned and the Haitian situation will be "discussed at length" at tomorrow's summit. Kambon said Caricom must ensure that Aristide be allowed to address the United Nations General Assembly about "his forced removal from Haiti," and even be prepared to help Aristide in establishing a government-in-exile in the region if it becomes necessary. He urged Caricom to pilot a resolution in the UN General Assembly demanding the restoration of Aristide as Haitian President and the removal of all foreign forces from Haiti. Kambon said these forces must be replaced by "a genuinely neutral, international peace-keeping force, comprising military contingents from nations which share a common historical, ethnic and/or geographical connection with the nation and people of Haiti." He said this new force must disarm Haitian rebel forces, bring all wrongdoers to justice, secure Aristide's return and assist in overseeing the holding of fully democratic parliamentary and presidential elections in Haiti.