HAITI'S PRESIDENT-ELECT WARMLY WELCOMED BY

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 000777

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA, WHA/CAR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL DR HA
SUBJECT: HAITI'S PRESIDENT-ELECT WARMLY WELCOMED BY
DOMINICANS


1. Summary. The visit of Haitian President-elect Rene Preval
to Santo Domingo has been a media success and a generally
feel-good event, including the reinvigoration of the dormant
Dominican-Haitian Binational Commission. The press carries
little of substance from the busy 24-hour visit. Embassy
expects a fuller readout next week from Haitian ambassador to
Santo Domingo Fritz Cineas. End summary.


2. Haitian President-elect Rene Preval received an
enthusiastic and full protocolar welcome for his March 2-3
visit to Santo Domingo. His busy schedule will stretch
somewhat beyond the planned 24 hours, according to the
Dominican presidential spokesman, as Preval and his
delegation are adding meetings this afternoon, Friday.


3. Preval's delegation included Rene Momplaisir, John Joel
Joseph, Consuelo Coicou (interpreter) and businessmen Bernard
Craan and Philippe Armand. Haitian ambassador Fritz Cineas
met them upon their arrival via private jet at Santo
Domingo's Las Americas international airport, and the party
transferred to a private helicopter for the flight to
downtown Santo Domingo, escorted by two military helicopters.
The delegation was based at the Hotel Santo Domingo, in close
proximity to the Foreign Ministry, the Congress, and the
Embassy of Haiti. The president-elect received full security
protection, including the presence at the hotel of a
black-garbed SWAT team, but there was in fact relatively
little control over those who sought to attend hotel events.


4. Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso offered them
lunch at the ministry and in the afternoon Preval received
Haitian students at the hotel. The event began with the
national hymns of both countries, and Preval invited "those
of you who know the Dominican anthem" to sing along.
Communication was in French and in Creole, and the atmosphere
quickly relaxed. Bernard Craan related his experiences as a
student in Madrid and assured students of opening
opportunities in Haiti. A student spokesman listed the
difficulties of life in the Dominican Republic, much as was
done in their recent meeting with President Fernandez and
Haitian ambassador Cineas. and added complaints about the
inability of the Haitian authorities to assure security and
educational opportunity at home. Preval sympathized and
offered encouraging words, and the excited students offered
him a round of applause. A more formal diplomatic reception
took place immediately afterward, with a good turnout in
relatively disorganized circumstances.


5. Preval proceeded to the palace for a photo op with
Fernandez, in front of a portrait of Dominican independence
hero Juan Pablo Duarte, and after an hour's meeting in the
presidential office, the party attended a formal dinner
offered by Fernandez and Vice-President Albuquerque. The
Dominican side included FM Morales Tronocoso, presidential
chief of staff Danilo Medina, Armed Forces Secretary Pared
Perez, Interior Secretary Almeyda, Technical Secretary of the
presidency Montas, Health Minister Rojas Gomez, Environment
Secretary Max Puig, and Migration Director Amarente Baret.

SIPDIS
Ambassador to Haiti Serulle Ramia also attended.


6. On Friday, February 3, Preval called on former president
Hipolito Mejia and the leadership of the opposition PRD.
Following the hour-long meeting he commented that he was
extremely lucky to have good friends both in the presidential
palace and heading the opposition. He and his party were
scheduled for a number of private meetings and a noontime
press conference and departure, but the departure time has
reportedly been pushed back to late afternoon.

A Very Public Event
- - - - - - - - - -


7. MFA Haitian affairs director Amb. Inocencio Garcia told
political officer on March 2 that the Dominican authorities
are "very happy" with the visit, as an opening to better
communication and cooperation. Preval's "good will gesture"
of a visit to Santo Domingo was much appreciated; he
described one of his motives as "making amends" for the
chaotic reception of Fernandez in Port-au-Prince on December

12.


8. The events had a very high public relations profile, but
neither side had much of substance to share with the press.
Preval's public comments were positive but anodyne: "My
presence in the Dominican Republic is a demonstration of the
interest of our two countries in marching together to find
solutions for our common problems; it is highly significant
that the Dominican Republic is the first country I am
visiting after winning the election. This is a way of

telling you, President Fernandez, how convinced we are of our
friendship." He reportedly invited Fernandez to the
inauguration. Much was made of the fact that the
presidential dinner served in effect as an initial meeting of
a reinvigorated binational commission, an arrangement set up
by the two but fallen into disuse during the Mejia years.


9. In the celebratory atmosphere, hard topics were easy to
avoid. Foreign Minister Morales Tronocos told journalists
that the administration had not raised migration issues, for
those would await the formation of a new government in Haiti.
The FM spoke of "a friendly encounter to confirm friendship
and solidarity." One newspaper headlined Morales' comment
that he had spoken with the president-elect about the
potential of generating employment in Haiti in connection the
CAFTA-DR free trade agreement.

Comment
- - - -


10. Turning the elegant and affable Preval into something of
a media star, the visit dramatized the high expectations of
Dominicans and the administration's pleasure that it will
have counterparts in Port au Prince. Haitian ambassador
Fritz Cineas has agreed to give the Embassy a fuller read out
next week. We would be surprised if he admits that there
were any points of friction. Since he told the Ambassador in
a courtesy call last month that his appointment had been
cleared in advance with leading presidential candidates,
Cineas will probably have a good deal of time to work on the
less glossy aspects of the bilateral relationship.
KUBISKE