GOH CONSIDERS FORMING A GENDARMERIE

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 001340

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958:N/A
TAGS: PINS MOPS MASS HA FR
SUBJECT: GOH CONSIDERS FORMING A GENDARMERIE

REF: Paris 4786

(U) Sensitive but unclassified protect accordingly.


1. (SBU) Summary: On the eve of his visit to Paris June
29-30, President Preval publicly floated the idea of
creating a Gendarmerie in Haiti, and reuested French
assistance with this project. The GOH wants to create a
new force that could assume some of the security functions
currently performed by MINUSTAH, as well as to free the
police fro functions for which it is ill-suited (e.g.,
prison security; maritime control) in order to focus on
core public safety tasks. A French team visited Port-au-
Prince July 18 22 for exploratory discussions with the
e
GOH, but was non-committal as to eventual support for a
Haitian gendarmerie. End summary.

Prevals Plans for a Gendarmerie
--------------


2. (U) In a June 27 interview with French daily Le Monde,
President Preval responded to a journalist's question about
creation of a gendarmerie. He said There needs to be a
unit to provide frontier security; to protect public
buildings, ports, airports; to intervene in cases of
natural disaster; to stop contraband, and to participate in
tasks such as forest protection. I want to reflect on ways
these functions can be linked to required national service,
which is provided for in the constitution. During his
Paris visit, Preval formaly requested assistance from the
GOF to create a French-style gendarmerie.

French Evaluation Team Visits Port-au-Prince
--------------


3. (U) A two-person French team visited Port-au-Prince July
18 22 to follow up on the idea. Led by Controlleur
olleur
General de la Police Paquy and including Lt. Col Cousin of
the human resources office of the French Gendarmerie, the
team met July 21 with ADCM and representatives of the DAO,
MLO, and Narcotics Affairs Section. While in Port-au-
Prince, the team met with President Preval, the Minister of
Justice, the Secretaries of State for Public Safety, the
Director General of the National Police, and Presidential
Advisor Bob Manuel, as well as MINUSTAH officials and other
donors involved in support to the justice and security
sector. At the Embassy meeting, USG participants briefed
on current training and assistance programs for the police
and coast guard, and discussed the challenges of working to
improve these institutions.


4. (U) According to the French, the GOH plan is to create a
force that would be able to replace capabilities currently
provided by MINUSTAH but that eventually must be assumed by
Haitians. The government also wants to free the police
from performing functions other than its core public safety
responsibilities. A gendarmerie could also be a vehicle
for instituting a national service requirement in Haiti,
the French said. They noted that the current constitution
provides for both a police force and a military force.


5. (SBU) The French team members privately told DCM that
they were disappointed by the meeting with Preval. He
offered no vision and no clear idea what he wanted from
the gendarmerie. They got more out of their session with
Preval advisor Bob Manuel. He proposed a gendarmerie that
would focus on (1) response to natural disasters, (2)
firefighting, (3) prison management and security, (4)
border security and control, and (5) maritime security.
-

6. (SBU) The French team seemed somewhat skeptical of
beginning a program to support a Haitian gendarmerie at
this time. Lt. Col. Cousin commented that, if they started
now, they would probably come back in five years to find
find
that all their work had been destroyed. But the French
team members admitted they would not make the final
decision, but would merely present a recommendation for
consideration at more senior levels of the GOF. They
promised to inform the embassy of any decision to proceed
with support to a Haitian gendarmerie.

Comment
--------------

7. (SBU) It is sensible to begin thinking about Haitis
security needs in a post-MINUSTAH environment. The GOH has
correctly identified a number of functions in which its
security services lack the necessary capacity. In view of
the problems the GOH already has in financing, staffing,
and training the HNP, however, it is far from clear that
creating a new security structure is a wise course of
action. If the GOH does go forward to establish a
gendarmerie, the USG will need to ensure proper
coordination with existing USG programs that already
support the police, coast guard, and justice sector.

SANDERSON