HAITI ELECTIONS: LATORTUE OPTIMISTIC, LOOKING TO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000284

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SUBJECT: HAITI ELECTIONS: LATORTUE OPTIMISTIC, LOOKING TO
TRANSITION


1. SUMMARY. In a meeting with DAS Duddy, four
Congressional staffers and Charge on 6 February, Interim
Prime Minister Gerard Latortue expressed confidence about the
upcoming elections but noted that the days following the
election would be critical. He expected that results would
be available by Thursday February 9 but worried that the
political situation would become more complicated once the
results were known. Elections would not solve Haiti's
problems, he said, but they were an obligatory passage along
the way. Stating his intention to act only as a "caretaker"
Prime Minister until the inauguration, Latortue also noted
that presidential front-runner Rene Preval had already
contacted him and asked him to stay on if Preval won until
the Parliament could designate a new Prime Minister - a
process that may take several weeks due to the likelihood of
both a divided Senate and Chamber of Deputies. Latortue also
outlined ongoing plans within the government to ensure a
successful transition, including the drafting of ministerial
white papers and executive summaries for incoming ministers
and officials. Latortue spoke in depth about the most urgent
development priorities for Haiti's future and a priority
agenda for the next government, and he briefly discussed the
implications of a Preval presidency (septel). END SUMMARY.


2. Interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue met on 6 February
with Charge; Deputy Assistant Secretary Patrick Duddy; Carl
Meacham, Senior Republican Staff to the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee; Ted Brennan, Senior Republican Staff to
the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere; Paul
Oostburg-Sanz, Democratic Chief of Counsel to the House
Committee on International Relations; and Caroline Tess,
Foreign Policy Advisor to Senator Bill Nelson. Latortue was
in good spirits and enthusiastic about the likelihood of a
successful election.


3. DAS Duddy opened the meeting by informing Latortue of
the impending visits of two U.S. vessels, the U.S.C.G. Cutter
Oak and the U.S.S. Dewart. Latortue thanked Duddy and also
noted that the Haitian government was relieved to have
addressed the issue of imprisoned priest Gerard Jean-Juste,
who recently traveled to the U.S. for medical treatment.
Duddy then asked what Latortue thought the outlook was for
elections on 7 February.

Elections Looking Good
--------------

4. Latortue replied by noting his great pleasure that all
political parties were calling for elections and there was no
sign of movement toward a boycott. He believed that the
parties had been greatly impressed by the Provisional
Electoral Council (CEP) vote tabulation center, located in a
warehouse near the airport in Port-au-Prince, and they had
therefore come to realize that this election would be
transparent and the ballots would be counted properly.
Political parties did not see many opportunities for the
voting process to be corrupted. Latortue also expressed
pride in his government, stating that some parties had been
convinced that the interim government (IGOH) would seek to
influence the election. He said that the impartiality of
both himself and Interim President Boniface Alexandre had
been essential in ensuring a fair electoral proces. He also
stated that the presence of so many iternational observers
would bolster confidence i the process. He predicted that 7
February wouldbe a "big success", and he stated that it
would e very important for the U.S. to engage quickly an
supportively with whichever candidates emerged ut of the
first round. If Preval should win in he first round,
Latortue urged that the U.S. embrce his victory in a
bipartisan way.


5. Latotue believed that the issue of electoral security
was overblown and that it only really concerned the 60,000 or
so residents of Cite Soleil who would be leaving that area to
go to their polling places. If anyone were likely to cause
trouble on election day, it would probably be people
associated with narcotrafficking who continue to profit from
the lack of order in Haiti. He cautioned, however, that
there were no guarantees that Port-au-Prince would remain

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calm once the results became public.

Caretaker Government
--------------


6. Latortue said that he was pleased to see bicameral,
bipartisan representation from the U.S. Congress, and that
the time has come for the U.S. to abandon partisanship with
respect to Haiti. Meacham and Brennan asked Latortue what
his role would be in the transition process and what he would
do to support the incoming government. Latortue replied that
he felt he would no longer have any legitimacy to enact new
initiatives or make critical decisions. He stated that he
would take no decision that might anger his successor after
the elections. While President Alexandre would step down
upon the inauguration of a new President, Latortue was
obliged to remain in his capacity as Prime Minister until a
successor had been designated by the newly formed Parliament.
He theorized that this could take several weeks, given that
the Parliament would be made up of many first-time
legislators from a wide variety of political parties. He
also stated that front-running Lespwa presidential candidate
and former President Rene Preval had already contacted him
and asked Latortue to remain as Prime Minister until a new
choice had been made.


7. On the political transition, Latortue had instructed his
ministers to prepare white papers and sectoral briefings for
the incoming government that would outline the many programs
and problems confronting the new government. He said he
planned to lead the new government on tours of ministries, as
well as hold leadership meetings to properly hand over
issues. Latortue also said that he would be inaugurating two
new infrastructure projects in the coming weeks that would
provide the new government with immediate concrete success
stories. Lastly, Latortue said that the Interim Government
would implement a few laws by decree because they were
necessary and would never pass through an elected
legislature. These included a decree on governmental ethics
and financial disclosure of elected officials, as well as a
decree establishing boards of governors for some habitually
corrupt government agencies including the Haitian social
security administration.


8. DAS Duddy has cleared this message.
CARNEY