L'ONU parle d'une nette am?lioration de la s?curit? en Ha?ti PORT-AU-PRINCE - La s?curit? s'est nettement am?lior?e ? Port-au-Prince, depuis l'?lection pr?sidentielle ha?tienne du 7 f?vrier, a indiqu? jeudi la Mission de stabilisation des Nations unies en Ha?ti (Minustah). Les actes de criminalit? et d'enl?vement ont diminu?.

This article was originally published in the February 24th, 2006 online edition of Swiss Info

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Haiti's newly elected President Rene Preval has a long history that includes connections to ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Preval's own populist credentials and his previous term as president offer clues as to how he might govern this time.

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President Bush has congratulated Haitian president-elect Rene Preval on his victory in the February 7 election. A White House spokeswoman said Mr. Bush telephoned Mr. Preval and expressed continuing U.S. interest in Haiti's democratic and economic success. She said the president and Mr. Preval also discussed cooperating in the fight against the illegal drug trade.

Topics include the possible return of ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the latest on the U.S. port debate, and minorities hit by a foreclosure trend. Tony Cox is joined by Joe Davidson, an editor at The Washington Post, Yvonne Bynoe, author of the book Stand and Deliver: Political Activism, Leadership and Hip Hop Culture and Jeff Obafemi, host of the radio show Freestyle.

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Haitian president-elect Rene Preval says Haiti's constitution permits former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide to return from exile in South Africa.

The United States said Wednesday it would see no useful purpose in the return to Haiti of exiled former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Aristide said this week in South Africa he would like to return now that a former political prot?g?, Rene Preval, has been declared the country's next president. The Bush administration had a difficult relationship with Aristide, accusing him of fomenting violence in the country before and after he was ousted in 2004.

Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide says he hopes to return to Haiti as soon as possible, after nearly two years in exile in South Africa.

As Haiti's president-elect Rene Preval takes power, the man who must try to keep order during this transition is considered a reformer and rarely grants access to Western media. Mario Andresol is the recently appointed chief of the Haitian National Police. Andresol has started a purge of the force. At considerable risk, he has arrested dozens of officers he says are involved in drug trafficking, organized kidnapping rings and politically motivated killings. His efforts to clean up the police force have made him a symbol of reform.

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Jacques Bernard, the man in charge of vote counting in Haiti's recent presidential election has fled the country, citing fears for his life. Bernard's farmhouse was burned down after the council he headed announced disputed results that returned former president Renee Preval to office.

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JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African President Thabo Mbeki on Saturday hailed Haiti's election outcome, which local officials have said could lead to the return of ousted former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Aristide has been living in exile in South Africa since 2004 after he fled an uprising over charges of despotism and corruption.

This article was originally published in the February 18th, 2006 online edition of Swiss Info

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