A/S SHANNON ATTENDS MINUSTAH/OAS MEETING IN

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 000184

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR
DRL
S/CRS
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA)
TREASURY FOR MAUREEN WAFER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM HA
SUBJECT: A/S SHANNON ATTENDS MINUSTAH/OAS MEETING IN
PORT-AU-PRINCE, JANUARY 20

REF: PAUP 129 AND PREVIOUS


1. This message is sensitive but unclassified -- protect
accordingly.


2. (SBU) Summary. WHA Assistant Secretary Thomas A. Shannon
represented the United States. at a meeting of senior
MINUSTAH, OAS, and donor countries in Port-au-Prince on
January 20. The participants agreed that election officials
and Haitian political leaders must respect the current
electoral calendar and proceed with the first round of
national elections on February 7. Participants further
stressed that the international community and Haitians cannot
allow violent actors to delay the democratic process.
MINUSTAH elections chief Gerardo LeChevallier reported that
elections organizers had nearly completed elections
preparations. Presidential candidates and party
representatives from the Entente for Democracy and Modernity
expressed concerns about electoral preparations (see
reftels),but supported proceeding with February 7 first
round. The meeting with former president Rene Preval focused
on his plans, if elected, to introduce universal education
and reform the police force. The meeting succeeded in
establishing both international and Haitian commitment to
proceeding with elections on February 7. A/S Shannon cleared
this message. End Summary.


3. (U) A/S Shannon led the U.S. delegation that included
Charge d'Affairs Timothy Carney, WHA/CAR director Brian
Nichols, and S/CRS Michele Schimpp, and Embassy
Port-au-Prince Polcouns John Mariz. International delegation
leaders included:
MINUSTAH: SRSG in Haiti, Juan Gabriel Valdes
OAS: Albert Ramdin, Assistant Secretary General
UN: Hedi Annabi, Assistant Secretary General, UNDPKO
Argentina: Leonardo Franco, A/S for Latin American Policy
Brazil: Jose Eduardo Felicio, A/S for South America
Canada: Jamal Khokhar, MFA Director General for the Americas
Chile: Carlos Portales, MFA Director General for Foreign
Policy
Peru: Javier Terronas, Deputy Foreign Minister
Resident Ambassadors of France, Germany, Mexico, and the
Dominican Republic
Resident Representatives of the IMF and World Bank

International Community committed to February 7
--------------


4. (SBU) In their opening statements, the international
participants unanimously insisted that election authorities
must proceed with the current electoral calendar and hold the
first round on February 7. A/S Shannon reaffirmed our
long-term commitment to the development of Haitian democracy,
noting that the upcoming elections were the crucial first
step in that process. He expressed his thanks to the
troop-contributing countries in MINUSTAH and condolences to
those who had suffered casualities, highlighting Brazil's
leadership and U.S. sadness of the death of General Bacellar.
A/S Shannon stressed that violence must not pose an obstacle
to the democratic process, rather that the elections were a
crucial step in taking steps to control the violence.
Echoing A/S Shannon's remarks, Canada's Khokhar stated that
the international community must address the security
situation, but that there was no excuse to postpone
elections. OAS ASG Ramdin summed up the opening session by
concluding that the meeting should result in a clear and
simple message to the Haitian people that the international
community expected cooperation from all sides to support the
electoral calendar, to improve the security situation, and to
work toward national unity and reconciliation under the new
government. (Note: Referring to these interventions, the
U.S. delegation, with the strong support of Canada, France,
and Germany, was able to sharpen focus in the joint
declaration on support for the electoral calendar and the
rejection of using violence as an excuse for further delay.
End note.)

Elections Preparations on Schedule
--------------


5. (SBU) LeChevallier reported progress on all of the issues
facing elections organizers and assured the meeting MINUSTAH
was prepared to hold to the February 7 first round. He
highlighted that the OAS had distributed 80% of voter
registration cards with plans in place to complete remaining
distribution. MINUSTAH and the CEP had reviewed the
locations of the 804 voting centers. LeChevallier
acknowledged concerns about voting centers but reassured the
group that no one would be further than 5 Km from their
polling site. MINUSTAH had finalized the distribution of
voting materials and made the logistical preparations to
transmit the results. MINUSTAH had sufficient funds to
organize the two rounds of national elections but not the
municipal and local elections, scheduled for April 30. In
response, ASG Ramdin emphasized the need for MINUSTAH and the
CEP to publicize the status of elections preparations and to
explain to the populace the decisions they had taken
regarding voting centers, highlighting that everyone would
have secure access to their polling site.

Entente Gives Guarded Support for February 7
--------------


6. (U) The presidential candidates and party representatives
from the "Entente" alliance expressed concern regarding
secure access to and staffing of voting centers, but on
balance committed to support the first round date of February

7. Candidates Charles Henri Baker, Serge Gilles, and Evans
Paul made strong statements that they and their parties were
prepared to participate in elections on February 7. All
voiced concern over security and CEP organization, but
insisted that their parties and allies were working to
motivate their followers to vote and ensure credible
results. The OPL representative (OPL presidential candidate
Paul Denis was campaigning in the countryside) struck the
most skeptical stance, questioning whether results would be
credible in light of various technical problems with voting
lists and the voting centers.

Rene Preval Confident of Victory
--------------


7. (U) Former president and L'Espwa party candidate Rene
Preval stated that conditions were in place for credible
elections, citing only limited concerns over security.
Preval used his time to focus on his plans to govern (not
bothering to qualify his remarks with "if elected") citing
universal education and police reform as his most pressing
priorities. Haiti lacked technical expertise in every area
the new government needed to address, and Preval urged the
international community to make experts available, suggesting
that university exchanges would be especially useful. Preval
turned to his campaign manager and former state secretary for
security Robert Manuel to address police reform. Manuel
stated that the Haitian National Police were corrupt and
unreliable, with a history of serving as a tool of
intimidation for the government. The first priority of a
Preval government would be to remove criminals from its ranks
and establish its independence from the government or any
political movement. He also emphasized that judicial reform
and institution building needs to be supported at levels on
par with the police to ensure that police are subordinate to
the rule of law.


8. (SBU) Comment. We and the international community
achieved our primary goal in presenting Haitian leaders a
united front committed to the current electoral calendar and
gaining their pledge of commitment in return. Though what
these leaders say when publicly put on the spot and how they
behave otherwise may not be entirely consistent, the leading
candidates, notably Preval, Baker, and Manigat, are sincerely
committed to the electoral calendar and will not support
delay.


CARNEY