Interview with leading presidential candidate Rene Preval

(19 Jan 2006)

FILE: Recent
1. Wide of crowd at Rene Preval rally in Port-Au-Prince
2. Preval on podium
3. Wide of crowd

Port-Au-Prince - 18 January, 2005
4. SOUNDBITE (French) Rene Preval, Haitian presidential candidate:
"It's very difficult for the father of a family to not be able to feed his family every day."

FILE: Recent
5. Wide of Rene Preval rally

Port-Au-Prince - 18 January, 2005
6. SOUNDBITE (French) Rene Preval, Haitian presidential candidate:
"Nobody wants to live in this situation. Not only under these conditions, but carrying a weapon. That's how it is."

FILE: Recent
7. Wide of Preval walking with people in Kafou Jout, Grande Anse
8. Close-up of boys with posters cheering for Preval

Port-Au-Prince - 18 January, 2005
9. SOUNDBITE (French) Rene Preval, Haitian presidential candidate:
"I think that, to change things, it is necessary to have a government which has legitimacy."

FILE: Recent
10. Various of people greeting Preval

STORYLINE:

Front-running Haitian presidential candidate Rene Preval asserted on Tuesday that he had emerged from the shadow of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, his former mentor who fled Haiti amid a rebellion and accusations of corruption.

During a 90-minute interview, 63-year-old Preval also spoke about the poverty and violence in the Cite Soleil slum of Port-au-Prince, a stronghold of Aristide supporters.

"It's very difficult for the father of a family to not be able to feed his family every day," Preval said.

"Nobody wants to live in this situation. Not only under these conditions, but carrying a weapon. That's how it is," he added.

The elections, now set for February 7, have been postponed several times because of organisational problems and violence.

There was even more bloodshed on Tuesday as gunmen shot dead two Jordanian United Nations (UN) peacekeepers and wounded a third in Cite Soleil.

Many Haitians fear that if Preval, who served as president from 1995-2001, wins the presidency again, he will bring Aristide back from exile in South Africa.

But Preval insisted he will govern without being influenced in any way by Aristide.

Aristide was Haiti's first democratically elected leader since the Caribbean country won independence from France, but was accused by opponents of breaking promises to help the poor and of masterminding attacks on his opponents by armed gangs.

Aristide denied those charges.

Preval, a reclusive agronomist, appeared relaxed and confident during the 90-minute interview, which took place in a house belonging to one of his supporters.

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