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1. MINUSTAH is not a "peacekeeping" mission.

MINUSTAH is a U.N. mission (the mission originally had a six-month renewable term) that has the mandate (see U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1529 and 1542) to: "(a) Facilitate the establishment of conditions of security and stability inside the Haitian capital and around the country as need and circumstances permit, to support the calls for international assistance from the Haitian President, Mr. Boniface Alexandre, with the goal of promoting the constitutional political process underway in Haiti, (b) Facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and the access of the international humanitarian workers to the Haitian people in need, and (c) Facilitate the delivery of international assistance to the Haitian Coast Guard so as to establish and maintain the security and public."

Today, four-and-a-half years after the adoption of these resolutions, after four and a half years of occupation, the record is clear: This mission with a so called "humanitarian" character has proven to be a disaster.

During this conference, we have been able to assemble the facts and testimonies supplied by our delegate comrades in order to support each one of the statements issued herewith.

Several months ago, hundreds of thousands of men and women who'd had nothing to eat went out into the streets in what is called a hunger riot. The only reason for this situation was the unbridled speculation on basic goods on the part of the financial operators: The price of a sack of rice rose overnight from $US35 to $70). The occupation forces of MINUSTAH did not hesitate to shoot at the people, causing 6 deaths and hundreds of wounded.

Dogged by bad luck, after these events Haiti was then hit by four hurricanes within a space of two months. According to a Reuters dispatch on October 25, 2008: "Hit by four hurricanes or storms in a period of two months, Haiti was subjected to one of the biggest catastrophes of its history, according to a U.N. official. Between August and September 2008, Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike descended on the Caribbean islands, provoking the deaths of 800 persons and leaving 1 million more without shelter. Thousands of persons, many of whom were children, were forced to move to makeshift shelters; they lack basic staple foods in a country where a large part of the population lives on an average of two dollars a day. 'The food rations that they give us are gone in a week and we must go beg in the street just to be able to eat something,' tells a 50-year-old homeless person."

Zoellick speaks of a billion dollars' worth of damages -- but the maintenance of the MINUSTAH troops costs $540 million a year (one third of the budget of the Haitian nation)! This money could be spent building schools, hospitals and education for children. Only a billion dollars would be needed to repair the damage caused by hurricanes while, according to the analysts, the banking scandal around Lehman Brothers announced by Wall Street is "close to $2.774 billion and is going to require an additional bailout of $ 6 billion." How is this possible?

The President of the World Bank knows the value of these things, and yet he continues to demand the prompt payment of Haiti's foreign debt. This is the debt from the Duvaliers and the other dictators. It was contracted by them. Just to keep the debt current would cost the Haitian people $58.2 million in 2008 and $50.9 million in 2009. A million dollars goes up in smoke each week to pay back the dictators' debt, while the people die of hunger.

As Sister Colia Clark, a delegate of Grandmothers for the Freedom of Mumia Abu Jamal, reported at the opening of the conference, "It is not enough to demand the annulment of this foreign debt! We must demand guarantees for the development of Haiti. This development is necessary and should be financed by the reparations that France, the United States, and the U.N. should pay in exchange for compensation from the debt from independence, the pillaging of its resources from the U.S. occupation of 1915, and from the numerous military occupations and interventions that the country has experienced during the entire century. These are all violations of its national sovereignty -- and this includes the present situation of the U.N. occupation. This policy must be stopped!"

Last November in Petionville, near Port au Prince, the roofs of schools collapsed on top of the heads of children. This collapse caused the death of 90 children. One more time, MINUSTAH did not notice the disaster. The school that collapsed had been built by a government minister without any regulation by the government. How can this catastrophe not be connected to the anarchic exploitation, under the control of the mafias, in the sandpits around Port au Prince, where the shameful exploitation represents from 10% to 11% of the GNP?

Far from improving the situation of the Haitians, the presence of MINUSTAH makes it worse. Many international observers have noted the massacres and the violations perpetrated by the soldiers of the so called "peacekeeping" force. During this conference we became aware of conclusions reached by the Second Congress of the Democratic Association of the Women Workers of Haiti (ADFEMTRAH). One of the delegates reported:

"Yesterday we had a lot of discussions in our congress, especially about the problems linked to the presence of the troops of MINUSTAH. We put together resolutions that say in effect 'MINUSTAH robs us and rapes us.' Another delegate explained: 'We have tried to recover this money [the money that it costs to keep MINUSTAH] for education and healthcare.' The Second Congress of ADFEMTRAH also adopted an open letter to Rene Preval, current President of Haiti. This letter explains that "far from contributing to the stability of the country and to peace, you can not ignore, Mr. President, that the troops murder innocent civilians who have no means of defending themselves, like in April 2008 during the hunger riots or on Dec. 22, 2006 during the massacre in Cite Soleil. They loot and rape and encourage prostitution. We ask why the $575 million that go to MINUSTAH cannot instead be utilized for the reconstruction of our country."

After the Nobel Prize went to Adolfo Perez Esquivel, 1,200 persons died in acts of violence during the first year of the deployment of MINUSTAH. According to the observers, between 2005 and 2007, in less than two years, the troops of MINUSTAH provoked at least three massacres in Cite Soleil. In a document of the September 30th Foundation, the following is stated: "On Dec. 22, 2006, about 400 soldiers of the U.N. committed an act of aggression that lasted an entire day in Bois-Neuf, a neighborhood in Cite Soleil. It was an operation that occurred on the same scale as the massacre of July 6, 2005 in the same neighborhood. There were many deaths and wounded on the civilian side. After the 'Christmas massacre,' the U.N. forces have attacked Cite Soleil many times with their guns."

The main representative of the September 30th Foundation, Mr. Pierre-Antoine Lovinsky, is reported missing today. In a letter dated August 2008 to the Haitian authorities -- on the first anniversary of his disappearance -- his wife, Michele Pierre-Antoine Lovinsky, explained: "There is no doubt that that an active citizen of the caliber of Pierre-Antoine Lovinsky does not disappear nor can he evaporate without leaving a trace. Indeed, the clues and leads left during and after the abduction have not been sufficiently investigated to bring about concrete results. I want as proof the fingerprints found inside the vehicle used by Lovinsky."

Upon returning from the national demonstration on October 10, 2008 that was called by 22 worker and popular organizations for the Non-renewal of the Mandate of MINUSTAH - an action that was backed with 8,000 signatures -- our comrade Jefaisant Laguerre member of the Autononomous Confederation of Haitian Workers (CATH), was assassinated in a cowardly way.

One more time, neither the authorities responsible for the case nor MINUSTAH have supplied explanations for their passivity and their inaction in these two serious attacks on human rights. We demand that a credible inquiry begin that brings all light to the disappearance of Dr. Lovinsky as well as the murder of our comrade Jefaisant.

2. What economic and political objectives are behind the occupation of Haiti by the troops of MINUSTAH?

In the U.N. resolutions that give MINUSTAH its mandate, it is stated: "The U.N. asks that MINUSTAH also confer with the OAS [Organization of American States] and CARICOM [Communities of the Caribbean] while carrying out its mandate."

The testimonies gathered here prove it: CARICOM requires that the Preval government privatize public enterprises, and that it implement the HOPE law [Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership Encouragement Act], which allows the overexploitation of labor in the Free Trade Zones, all under the control of the MINUSTAH.

In his expose titled "The Banking System and Agricultural Development in Haiti," agricultural engineer Joel Ducasse paints a clear picture of the economic situation in Haiti: "The banking system was allocating not even 1% of its capacity to the financing of agricultural activity in Haiti. Today that contribution has fallen to nothing, to 0%! As far as housing, only 500 houses have been financed by the banking system over the past 15 years -- for a population of 8.7 million people."

In the introduction of the conference, Fignole St. Cyr, national secretary of the CATH, returned to the subject of the policies pursued by the IMF and World Bank. The application of these policies, directly dictated by U.S. imperialism, has tragic consequences for workers, he stated. For example, regarding the recent privatization of TELECO, 1,500 workers were fired, with the support of the MINUSTAH.

The HOPE law allows for the unilateral trade preference of the United States in favor of Haiti in the areas of textiles and clothing, as well as motor vehicle parts. Within the framework set by the HOPE law, Haiti must commit itself to the practice of liberalism on both political and economic levels. Haiti must not, moreover, adopt any measure that goes against the economic and political interests of the United States. Such are the conditions demanded by multinationals in order to produce their products at costs below those of China and Vietnam.

In Haiti, unemployment and misery reign, but these problems of insecurity are only one consequence of the situation of economic and political disaster in a country where sovereignty has been stomped upon for now more than 200 years -- since the crushing of the first Free Black Republic of the world, proclaimed on January 1, 1804.

Already investors and multinational corporations are rubbing their palms together in anticipation of the enormous profits they expect to make from the opportunities offered by the HOPE law. In an article that appeared in the August 15, 2008 issue of the Brazilian Valor Economico, it is explained that: "In the midst of chaos [the chaos of the Haitian economic situation], Brazilian companies are searching for opportunities and are beginning to profit from the strategic position of Brazil as leader of the MINUSTAH. Coteminas [Brazilian giant of the textile sector, whose chairman is none other than the son of the vice president of Brazil] wants to use Haiti as a platform for export and clothing manufacture aimed at the United States. Brazil is a known collaborator in the rescue process of Haiti. 'Our country has the right to demand preferential treatment,' said Valor Josue Gomes da Silva, president of Coteminas. In spite of institutional confusion, Haiti presents important advantages for a company in the textile sector: proximity and access to the biggest market in the world, the United States, and very inexpensive labor. A dressmaker in the capital city of Port-au-Prince is paid $0.50 an hour. That is a wage lower than the $3.27 paid in Brazil, and comparable to the $0.46 of Vietnam and $0.28 of Bangladesh."

The Coteminas plan is to export fabric from Brazil, have it made into clothes in Haiti at very low cost, and then ship the product to the U.S. market without customs duties -- the whole process protected by "free trade" agreements.

The MINUSTAH can itself then be used as a cover for passing agreements beneficial to multinationals on the backs of Haitian workers, with total contempt for ILO conventions!

Brother Dukens Raphael, Secretary General of the Confederation of Public and Private Sector Workers (CTSP), in his statements pointed out the insoluble links that exist between the defense of the national sovereignty of Haiti and the defense of labor and union rights with respect to ILO conventions, notably No. 87 (trade union freedoms) and No. 98 (the right to union organization).

Of course, ILO conventions need to be respected and Haiti must finally exit from the gangsterish circle that pseudo humanitarian aid constitutes, and this will happen only by reclaiming the full and entire sovereignty of Haiti, both politically and economically. Cancel the debt! Food sovereignty for Haiti!

As one of the delegates from Guadeloupe expressed at the conference, "Enough! That's enough! Enough for these people!"

It was shown at this conference that this barbarism is not the product of any kind of inevitable fate. For all of these crimes, guilt must be clearly established. To do this we must rely only on ourselves. This is why we are addressing ourselves to the international labor movement with a proposal to organize an International Commission of Inquiry which, on the basis of facts, will have the goal of assembling, before the next anniversary of the troops in May 2009, a bill of indictment that will establish who is guilty of perpetrating this situation in Haiti, the guilty whose armed wing is the presence of the MINUSTAH on the sacred soil of J.J. Dessaline and Toussaint Louverture.

We notice that, in light of all that has been discussed here, behind the catastrophic situation facing the Haitian people we find policies at work on a continental scale -- policies characterized by imperialist attacks on the sovereignty of nations, by contempt for national laws and labor codes, and by the quest to integrate trade union organizations into the plans of privatization demanded by "free trade" agreements.

Brazil is currently the country that leads and provides the largest contingent of troops for the MINUSTAH forces. In a very moving speech, one of the delegates from Brazil to the conference put forth in its full scope the problem posed by Brazilian President Lula's policy in favor of the MINUSTAH:

The Black people of Haiti are for us, Black Brazilians, a reference point. Haiti was the first Black republic to win its sovereignty and we, Black Brazilians, are side by side with our Haitian brothers and sisters in their struggle for the withdrawal of MINUSTAH troops. Because only the Haitian people themselves know what they need. Our government, which was elected to defend the workers, is made up of 14 different parties, some of which are openly reactionary. For example, there is Jobim, minister of defense. This minister told us, in the press, that the experience of the troops in Haiti was a means to acquire the know-how necessary to able to apply these same [criminal] methods next in the favelas [shantytowns] of Brazil.

Our discussion at this conference shows us the significance of such a statement:

"NO," the Brazilian delegate continued, "we will not allow our government to massacre the Black people in Haiti as they are in the process of now doing. We were already brothers; now we are blood brothers. We shout for the withdrawal of all troops from Haiti immediately! Our government cannot be an accomplice to these crimes one second more! In Haiti they need doctors, engineers, and firefighters, not the MINUSTAH! Withdraw the MINUSTAH troops! Haiti has the right to live! To defending Haiti is to defend ourselves!

In the same way, a militant delegated by the Workers Party of Brazil told us: "It is shameful for us to see Lula support the MINUSTAH troops. At this moment were are circulating a letter addressed to Lula, demanding that he receive a Haitian delegation. We have already gathered 14,000 signatures in support of the demand to withdraw the occupation troops. I hope to see you in Brazil participating in the delegation, for the immediate withdrawal of the MINUSTAH, until the last foreign soldier leaves Haiti!"

The conference also received the cordial support of the ISP (Public Services International), an international organization representing more than 30 million members, whose delegate, also mandated by his union, the SINDSEP-SP, gave a speech that concluded with the words, "Sovereignty for the Haitian people! Long live Haiti!"

The delegate from the CUT (United Workers Central), the most representative of labor organizations in Brazil, informed us of a unanimous resolution adopted by the CUT. It states:

"In relation to the presence of UN troops and the Brazilian command in Haiti, the CUT will organize a dialogue between the Haitian labor movement and the national leadership of the CUT for the purpose of discussing the deadlines and forms of withdrawal of troops, considering that their presence is not creating the conditions for the reconstruction of a country destroyed by imperialism and neoliberialism."

The delegates of from Guadeloupe recalled that the slogan for the Second Conference, held on December 16th and 17th of 2005, was: "It is time to form a free and fraternal union of the peoples of the Caribbean!"

They recalled and strongly affirmed that the solution in Haiti will be found through a new Caribbean solidarity, including Haiti. The national secretary of the POSH [Socialist Workers Party of Haiti], Onel Maignan, answered spontaneously, "Yes, we must build a free Caribbean solidarity. We need not fear the words; we must build a pole to create a space for ourselves, to counteract the obstacles to the freedom of the peoples of our region."

The undersigned individuals and organizations present at this conference hereby constitute an International Commission of Inquiry, open to the participation of labor and grassroots organizations from anywhere in the world, and mandating the ATPC to organize the tasks decided upon at this conference.

More than ever, we reaffirm: To defend Haiti is to defend ourselves!

IMMEDIATE WITHDRAWAL OF MINUSTAH TROOPS: With each passing day, the presence of these troops on Haitian soil is an affront to the sovereignty of the people of Haitian and the entire world!

CANCELLATION OF HAITI'S DEBT! PAYMENT OF REPARATIONS!

WE ISSUE A CALL TO THE LABOR AND GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT OF THE WORLD FOR THE CONSTITUTION OF AN INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON THE SITUATION IN HAITI

Signatories:

RONA, Rassemblement des organisations pour une nouvelle alternative
CTSP, Confederation des Travailleurs du Secteur Public
CATH, Centrale Autonome des Travailleurs Haitiens
ADFEMTRAH, Association des Femmes de la CATH
GIEL, Groupe de initiative des enseignants des Lycees
CMD.
GRREAAL
POS,Parti ouvrier socialiste haitien
KOTA, Konfedorasyon travaye aisyen
GRAHLIB, Grand rasemblement pour une Haiti libre et democratique
SCCF , Syndicat des chauffeurs de carrefour
UTSH, Union des Travailleurs syndiques haitiens
CISN, Confederation independante,syndicat national
FOS, Federation des Ouvriers Syndiques
CRICHEP
SERE
COAMEDH, Coalition des medecins haitiens
Julio Turra, Central Workers Confederation CUT (Brazil)
Raymond GAMA, Mouvman NONM (Guadeloupe)
Charly LENDO, Union Generale des Travailleurs de Guadeloupe, UGTG
Claudio SYLVA, Workers Party of Brazil, PT
Guido LARA, Potable Water Workers Union, Quito (Ecuador)
Jean Baptiste GOMES, International Public Services,ISP, and Municipal
Workers Union (Brazil)
Miguel MARTINEZ, ILC (France)
Barbara CORRALES, Workers Party, PT (Brazil)
Jacqueline PETITOT, Alliance Ouvriere et Paysanne, AOP, Martinique
Robert FABERT Coordinateur de l'Association des Travailleurs et des
Peuples de la Caraibe, ATPC, (Guadeloupe)
Luis VASQUEZ, Continuation Committee of the Mexico Continental Conferece
(Mexico)
Colia CLARK, Grandmothers for the Freedom of Mumia Abu Jamal(USA)
Dr Ahati N.N TOURE (USA)
Markins SOKOL, Workers Party of Brazil
Lucien GRATE, Alliance Ouvriere et Paysanne, AOP, (Martinique)
Jocelyn LAPITRE, Travaye È Peyizan (Guadeloupe)
Alex DESIR, President de l'Association des Haitiens en Martinique
Pedro NEJOURKA, President of Latinos Unidos (Martinique)