Haiti's interim prime minister says he will step down

Claude Joseph, who hasnominally led Haiti as acting prime minister since the July 7assassination of President Jovenel Mose, will hand power to achallenger backed by the international community possibly assoon as Tuesday, a Haitian official said.

The announcement appears to end a power struggle betweenJoseph and Ariel Henry, the 71-year old neurosurgeon who wasappointed prime minister by Mosetwo days before the killingbut has yet to be sworn in.

Haiti Foreign Affairs Ministry senior official Israel Jacky Cantavesaid that Joseph took charge following Mose's assassination tohelp ensure continuity of state, but he would hand over power toHenry now that there is a consensus on the future of the countryand protests have calmed.

Cantave said that Haiti's Council of Ministers would meet onMonday and that if all goes well, Joseph could hand over powerto Henry in a ceremony on Tuesday.

In an audio recording, Henry referred to himself as prime minister and called for unity, saying he would soon announce the members of what he called a provisional consensus government to lead the country until elections are held.

"I present my compliments to the Haitian people who have shown political maturity in the face of what can be considered a coup. ... Our Haitian brothers gave peace a chance, while leaving the possibility that the truth could one day be restored," Henry said.

"Now it is up to all the national leaders to walk together in unity, towards the same goal, to show that they are responsible."

Reuters was unable to immediately reach Joseph by phone forcomment, but in an interview with the Washington Post published Monday, he said he had agreed to step down.

Mose was fatally shot when assassins armed with assaultrifles stormed his private residence in the hills abovePort-au-Prince on July 7. The assassination has pitched thealready troubled nation into chaos, coming amid a surge in gang violence that has displaced thousands of people and hamperedeconomic activity in the poorest country in the Americas.

Joseph told the Washington Post that he and Henry had metprivately over the past week, adding that he agreed to step downon Sunday "for the good of the nation" and is willing totransfer power "as quickly as possible."

"Everyone who knows me knows that I am not interested inthis battle, or in any kind of power grab," Joseph said.

"The president was a friend to me. I am just interested inseeing justice for him."

Ambassador group urged Henry to form government

Haiti, a country of about 11 million people, has struggledto achieve stability since the fall of the Duvalier dynasticdictatorship in 1986, and has grappled with a series of coupsand foreign interventions.

On Saturday, the important Core Group of internationalambassadors and representatives urged "the formation of aconsensual and inclusive government."

"To this end, we strongly encourage the designated PrimeMinister Ariel Henry to continue the mission entrusted to him to form such a government," the group said.

WATCH | Canadian diplomats among group snubbing Joseph:

Key diplomats appear to snub Haiti's interim leader

3 years ago

Duration 3:33

A key group of international diplomats, including the Canadian ambassador, appeared to snub the interim leader of Haiti by urging the designated prime minister to form a government following the assassination of President Jovenel Mose.

The Core Group is made up of ambassadors from Canada,Germany,Brazil,Spain, the United States, France, the EuropeanUnion and special representatives from the United Nations andthe Organization of American States.

The group also called for the organization of "free, fair,transparent and credible legislative and presidential electionsas quickly as possible."

'It is up to us'

Monique Clesca, a Haitian writer, activist and former UNofficial, said she doesn't anticipate any changes under Henry, whom she expects to carry on Mose's legacy. But she warned Henry might be viewed as tainted because of the international backing that preceded his taking power.

"There is not only a perception, but the reality that he has been put there by the international community, and I think that's his burden to carry," she said.

"What we're calling for is for Haitians to really say this is unacceptable. We do not want the international community stating who ought to be in power and what ought to be done. It is up to us."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that the Biden administration "welcomes reports that Haitian political actors are working together to determine a path forward in the country."

"We have been encouraging, for several days now, Haitian political actors to work together and find a political way forward," she said.

Henry told Reuters on July 9 that he considered Joseph to benot interim prime minister but a foreign minister who had takenon the office.

"My installation should be done as soon as possible. I'mworking on the formation of a government, I am consulting, and Ishould speed up my consultations," he said in the interview.

A Colombian police chief said on Friday the assassination may have been ordered by a former Haitianjustice ministry official, citing a preliminary investigationthat has implicated Haitian-Americans and former Colombiansoldiers.

Martine Mose, the assassinated president's widow, returnedto Haiti on Saturday for his funeral after she was treated in aMiami hospital for injuries sustained during the attack.