FOREIGN MINISTRY BRIEFING ON HAITIAN ELECTIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 002081

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR WHA/CAR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CA HA PGOV PREL KPKO
SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTRY BRIEFING ON HAITIAN ELECTIONS



1. (SBU) FAC briefed members of the Haitian election
observer's steering committee July 8 to help shore up their
commitment to supporting the observation mission.
Participants were told that the process is largely on track
but requires continued coordination and close cooperation if
it is to be successful. Canadian officials said that the
deteriorating security environment is slowing the
registration process and must be brought under control by
MINUSTAH before the elections. The Chilean official in
attendance stressed the importance of close coordination on
the ground in Haiti, especially if there is more than one
observer mission operational. End Summary


2. (SBU) Poloff attended a briefing July 8 by FAC Director of
Caribbean and Central America Division Christian Lapointe and
his Haiti team for diplomatic representatives of the Steering
Committee for the Haitian elections (Chile, Jamaica, Mexico,
Brazil, Panama, the Dominican Republic and the U.S.).
Lapointe had told Poloff previously that there was some
concern on the part of the Government of Canada that members
of the elections steering committee were not stepping up to
the plate in support of the observation mission.


3. (SBU) Lapointe explained that with the task of
registration being done by the OAS and the election itself
being organized by the UN there was a need for an independent
body outside the process itself to observe and evaluate the
elections. He provided participants with a folder of
documents (e-mailed to WHA/CAR),some of which were shared in
the Montreal pre-conference on elections and others of which
have been developed since. Lapointe stressed the importance
of all members of the steering committee buying into the
process, and of the committee being completely free of
government influence and control. He said that Elections
Canada Chief Jean Pierre Kingsley insists on having observers
who are free from government control, and for that reason
only included on the steering committee institutions from
countries that have an autonomous electoral commission. A
senior CIDA official referred to the report commissioned by
CIDA by the consultants David Lee and Andre Bouchard, which
stressed the need for a mix
of many different persons from different backgrounds and
countries of origin to make an effective observer force.


4. (SBU) Lapointe said that the GOC is concerned with the
security environment which has continued to deteriorate since
Montreal and is now reaching a critical stage. He said the
key is for MINUSTAH to start to take more robust actions to
tamp down the violence and instability caused by criminal
activities, kidnappings, and political crimes. Registration,
Lapointe said, is being delayed by the uptick in violence.
He said there are currently 101 registration sites opened,
far below the July 15 target of 424 Lapointe said it appears
there will be a requirement for 6 additional weeks for the
registration process, but that will then leave no additional
time without delaying the elections themselves.


5. (SBU) Lapointe then commented on the budget, saying there
was a need for $62 million for the entire process, and with
recent inputs by the US and EU there was still a shortfall of
$8 million. One of the CIDA officers suggested, however,
that there was not a shortfall and with the US and EU money
there was sufficient funding in the coffers to cover the
mission.


6. (SBU) The observer process itself, CIDA said, would be
inspired by the model used to monitor the Iraqi elections,
but with considerable flexibility. There is consideration
being given to sending a pre-mission delegation to Haiti to
prepare the ground but no agreement on what size delegation
to send or when.


7. (SBU) Several of the delegates made statements:

-- Mexico: The Federal Institute of Elections is in
contact with Elections Canada and is satisfied with how the
process is unfolding. The GOM will support the steering
committee with money and as necessary, personnel, while
allowing enough distance for the body to retain credibility.
He added that there are still some questions about how the
observers will carry out their work on the ground.

-- Chile: The participant stressed the importance of
coordination between the observers and other entities such as
the OAS and UN. He suggested that the observer mission have
liaisons at both locations. He also noted that there will
probably be other observers, such as the EU, and urged that
there be an effort to coordinate with them as well. The
worst case would be one in which two groups of observers
arrive at differing conclusions as to the quality of the
election. Lapointe agreed with the need for better
coordination, noting that the OAS SecGen, who had recently
returned from Haiti, had his staff call the Montreal meeting
to inquire why the OAS was not represented, while in fact an
OAS representative was seated at the main table. This
meeting, Lapointe said, is a further effort at coordination.
-- Jamaica: The Jamaican High Commissioner commented that
of the three aspects of viable elections -- that they be
fair, free, and express the will of the people -- the most
important is the latter. Free and fair will always be
somewhat subjective, but an expression of the will of the
people will be fairly clear. This will be the bottom line
measurement for success coming out of the elections since
only a clear validation of the popular will can provide the
strength the new government will need to be effective.

-- Dominican Republic: There was concern expressed about
the lack of identification among Haitian citizens. According
to some estimates only five percent of Haitians have any kind
of id. Lapointe commented that by mid-July there should be
30-35 registration offices per day opening. There are
considerable logistical challenges but the process seems to
be accelerating.

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