PRESIDENT PREVAL CANCELS FOREIGN TRAVEL

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 001686 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CAR WHA/PPC (YONEOKA AND DEACON) IO/UNP (HARRIS) USUN FOR OLSON NSC FOR WILLIAMS-MANIGAULT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV OVIP OTRA KSEP UNGA HA CU SUBJECT: PRESIDENT PREVAL CANCELS FOREIGN TRAVEL REF: A. PAP 1608 ¶B. STATE 145242 ¶1. This message is sensitive but unclassified -- protect accordingly. ¶2. (SBU) Presidential advisor Gabriel Verret confirmed to Polcouns on September 7 that President Preval would not travel to either the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Conference in Havana beginning September 11 or the UN General Assembly Session (including an advance stopover in Washington) beginning September 20, contrary to his previous intentions reported in ref A. Verret repeated what other GoH officials had previously offered as the reason for the cancellation; the president felt it inappropriate to travel abroad while violent criminal gangs continued to pose a threat to security in Port-au-Prince. ¶3. (SBU) Per ref B, Pol delivered points on the NAM conference to Louie on September 6. Louie reported that he understood that Foreign Minister Jean Renald Clerisme would lead the Haitian delegation to both events, but could not confirm the minister's travel plans. Post is seeking confirmation of Clersime's date of arrival in New York. Louie offered no substantive response to the points outlined in ref B, but assured Polcouns he would related our views and the accompanying non-paper to the minister. (Note: Louie, the third highest official in the MFA hierarchy, informed Polouns that he would shortly take another assignment within the ministry. The GoH subsequently announced his replacement, along with that of most of the other ministerial directors general effective the following day. End Note.) TIGHE