HAITI: FM ABRAHAM DISCUSSES DUVALIER PASSPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT AU PRINCE 000112 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CAR S/CRS SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL HA SUBJECT: HAITI: FM ABRAHAM DISCUSSES DUVALIER PASSPORT ISSUANCE WITH CHARGE REF: PAP 0093 Classified By: CDA TIMOTHY M. CARNEY, REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) Charge took the opportunity of a January 14 meeting with Prime Minister Gerard Latortue to fortify points DAS Duddy and DCM Griffiths raised in opposition to the interim government´s issuance of a passport (diplomatic) to former dictator "Baby Doc" Duvalier (reftel). PM Latortue, in Charge´s presence, called Foreign Minister Herard Abraham noting that he had failed to convey USG concern at the decision in his last meeting with Abraham. Latortue recalled points accurately to Abraham urging that the passport be canceled or at the very least that Duvalier be dissuaded from returning to Haiti at this point. ¶2. (C) On January 16, Abraham called Charge and convoked him to a meeting on January 17 to continue discussions on the issue. During the meeting, Abraham said he sent the passport as part of an effort to de-mythologize Duvalier. He did not accept Charge´s contentions that the visuals are bad, that the matter should have awaited a duly elected Haitian government or that Baby Doc is a risky, potentially divisive, presence. He gave Charge his personal assurances that Duvalier would not risk returning to Haiti at this time because "he lacks appropriate guarantees, security and otherwise, to secure his reentry into the country." Abraham said he made the decision to issue the passport because according to the law, every Haitian citizen has the right to a passport (former president´s have the right to a diplomatic passport) and that he would defend his decision even after he completes his term as Foreign Minister. Abraham added that Haitian citizens are not required to have a passport to enter the country, simply some form of identification, therefore he considered Duvalier´s passport issuance a "non-issue." He concluded by refusing to revoke the passport already issued to Duvalier, but confirming that he would do everything in his power to transmit the message to Duvalier that he should not to return to Haiti at this time. TCARNEY