Political accord in Haiti seeks to avert crisis

Haiti's President Michel Joseph Martelly addresses a news conference following talks at the Chancellery in Berlin October 29, 2014. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - The president of Haiti and heads of the country's two houses of parliament reached a tentative agreement on Monday to avert a political crisis that has sparked nationwide protests.

The political accord announced late Monday seeks to open the way for approval by parliament of a new "consensus" government after prime minister Laurent Lamothe was forced to resign earlier this month.