UN urges Haiti to agree on new government

UN urges Haiti to agree on new government

2011-08-04 23:47:41 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) on Thursday called on all political actors in Haiti to reach a general agreement over discussions regarding the establishment of the new government.

Haiti is currently in the middle of a struggle between President Michel Martelly and its Parliament over the confirmation of a new prime minister. The country's Parliament recently decided to reject the choice of Bernard Gousse – the second time the legislative body has rejected the nomination of a prime minister designated by the President since his inauguration on May 14.

As a result, the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) has expressed concern about the absence of a government in Haiti for almost three months.

"This limits the State's ability to implement its programs, to guide the reconstruction process, and to meet its responsibilities towards the people of Haiti," MINUSTAH said.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and is still struggling to recover from the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.3 million others. In addition, the country is likely to be hit by the year's first of several expected storms in the current hurricane season.

"MINUSTAH respectfully reminds all political players in the country of their responsibility to work in the best interests of the nation," the mission said, adding that with the arriving hurricane season, all political actors should negotiate and search for a consensus which would lead to the good governance of Haiti.

MINUSTAH has worked in Haiti since mid-2004 after then president Jean-Bertrand Aristide went into exile amid violent unrest.

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