WASHINGTON (AP):
DIPLOMATS FROM the United States and other countries presented to Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide yesterday a plan for political reform and a return to the rule of law, the State Department said.
The delegation was planning to deliver the proposal to opposition leaders yesterday afternoon.
"It proposes a mechanism for achieving a political solution and a peaceful resolution to the situation in Haiti," State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said.
The initiative reflects heightened international pressure to break the stalemate between Aristide and his opponents after more than three weeks of unrest that has included outbreaks of violence.
Attending the meeting were U.S. Ambassador James Foley and representatives from the Organ-isation of American States, the European Union, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), France and Canada.
The same countries will be represented on Saturday at separate meetings with Aristide and his opponents. Roger Noriega, the top State Department official for Western Hemisphere issues, will represent the United States.
The group will discuss implementation of the proposal.
Ereli said the plan is based largely on a CARICOM proposal that was presented to the parties weeks ago. He declined to discuss any changes in the new proposal.
"We see a body politic that's broken," Ereli said, calling for a negotiation carried out in the spirit of compromise and the creation of a broad-based Government.
