(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