A SCHEME by Haiti’s neighbours to create a transitional presidential council for the troubled Caribbean country is moving forward, regional officials have said.

A majority of Haitian parties and coalitions have reportedly submitted names to regional bloc Caricom, which is co-ordinating the process.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was at last Monday’s Caricom meeting to give the White House’s backing.

Afterwards, unelected Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry promised to resign once the council was functioning.

On Thursday, Surinamese Foreign Minister Albert Ramdin said: “It is all up to the Haitians now, as they are the ones who want a Haitian-led solution.

“It is for them to pick up the ball and run with it, being responsible for their own destiny."

He spoke the day after Haitian politicians and influential figures bickered publicly over the plan and which names to submit, seemingly putting the council at risk before it had even been set up.

The council will be charged with choosing an interim prime minister and a council of ministers, as well as helping to organise general elections, which haven’t been held in nearly a decade.

The names of those put forward haven’t been made public, but Jean-Charles Moise, who leads the Petit Desalin party and has allied with former rebel leader and convicted money-launderer Guy Philippe, announced on Wednesday that his party would not join the council despite the offer of a voting position.

The others awarded a spot on the council are EDE/RED, a party led by former prime minister Claude Joseph; the Montana Accord, a group of civil society leaders, political parties and others; Fanmi Lavalas, the party of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide; and the January 30 Collective, which represents other parties, including that of former president Michel Martelly.

The private sector also has a seat.  

Of the remaining two non-voting positions, one would go to a representative of Haitian civil society and the other to the religious sector.

It was not immediately clear what would happen to the position rejected by Mr Moise and his party.

The push to create a council comes as Haiti’s capital and other areas are being increasingly overrun by powerful gangs that control about 80 per cent of the capital Port-au-Prince.

On February 29, gunmen launched a series of attacks on key state institutions, including police stations, the main international airport and Haiti’s two biggest prisons, where more than 4,000 inmates were freed.

Scores of people have died in the attacks and more than 15,000 people have been made homeless.