(C) UNSRSG THREATENS TO SEEK GEN. ELITO'S REMOVAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT AU PRINCE 002431 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2016 TAGS: PGOV HA UN SUBJECT: (C) UNSRSG THREATENS TO SEEK GEN. ELITO'S REMOVAL IF CITE SOLEIL OPERATIONS DO NOT GO FORWARD REF: PAP 2424 Classified By: Ambassador Janet A. Sanderson, reason 1.5(b) ¶1. (C) UN SRSG Mulet told me December 20 that he will ask UN DPKO to remove MINUSTAH commander Gen. Elito of Brazil if the general balks at taking action against gangs in Cite Soleil within the next 24-72 hours, as the SRSG has instructed. According to Mulet, Elito has continued to offer objections and propose minor changes to MINUSTAH's operational plan and fight a rear guard action to stall the operation. While Mulet and I were meeting, the General called the SRSG to suggest that "Option 3", the plan that MINUSTAH had hammered out in extensive internal discussions and in consultation with the government, should be jettisoned and replaced with another option. Mulet is clearly exasperated, observing that Elito is on his way home on January and in no way wants to rock the boat, much less incur any Brazilian casualties, before he departs. Regardless, Mulet says the operation must go forward and he is prepared to make this an issue with UN headquarters if he does not get the support from Elito that he expects. ¶2. (C) The SRSG has asked Brazilian Ambassador Paulo Cordeiro to intervene with Elito. Cordeiro tells me that he has been having "Dutch uncle" talks with his compatriot, assuring him that Brasilia is committed to a more active MINUSATH approach to Port-au-Prince's continuing security problem. He believes that Elito will go ahead with the operation this weekend, although he acknowledges that Elito has proven to be conservative in the extreme in the past. Brazil is very proud of its role in MINUSTAH, he added, and Elito will do his best. ¶3. (C) Comment. The confrontational relationship between MINUSTAH's senior civilian and military leadership is a concern to us, as it is to others. The Brazilian ambassador acknowledged that the MINUSTAH position is important to Brasilia and it does not want to see it jeopardized for Elito's eventual successor. While Mulet is angry, we believe it unlikely that he will formally ask for Elito's removal - the general is scheduled to leave shortly and embarrassing Brazil at this point serves no useful purpose. Furthermore, it does seem to us that preparations for a MINUSTAH/HNP operation are so far along now that it would be difficult to halt without serious embarrassment to MINUSTAH and the UN itself. Unfortunately, the increasingly bitter dispute between the two UN officials is now out in the open - Preval made reference to it in our conversation yesterday - and it gives Haitians yet another reason to blame the continuing security problems on the international community. SANDERSON