ARGENTINA TO ATTEND HAITI KEY PLAYERS MEETING,

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000094 SIPDIS SIPDIS WHA/CAR FOR TIMOTHY RYAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2017 TAGS: OVIP PREL EAID PGOV EFIN UNAUS HA EUN SUBJECT: ARGENTINA TO ATTEND HAITI KEY PLAYERS MEETING, CONCERNED OVER INTERNAL SECURITY REF: SECSTATE 05979 Classified By: AMBASSADOR E. ANTHONY WAYNE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. Summary. (C) Argentina supports a 12-month renewal of MINUSTAH's mandate and has demarched China in Beijing, New York, and Port-au-Prince urging them to do the same, Under Secretary for Latin America Policy Agustin Colombo Sierra SIPDIS told A/Polcouns on January 19 in response to reftel demarche. Colombo also indicated that the GOA would participate in the Haiti Key Players meeting on February 1, but that it would not move forward with its plans to organize a separate meeting on mandate renewal in New York in late January. He requested a 1-hour private meeting with Under Secretary Burns for the Argentine, Brazilian, and Chilean Vice Foreign Ministers prior to the February 1 meeting. Argentine, Brazilian, and Chilean officials met in Buenos Aires to discuss Haiti on January 17 and agreed to encourage UNSYG Ban to prioritize MINUSTAH's mission in Haiti and urge Canada to bolster its police training efforts to the Haitian National Police. They also agreed that donor coordination needed to improve, Colombo asserted. End summary. ¶2. (C) On January 19, A/Polcouns delivered reftel demarche to Under Secretary for Latin America Policy Agustin Colombo Sierra. Colombo indicated that Vice Foreign Minister Garcia-Moritan would participate in the Haiti Key Players meeting on February 1, and requested a 1-hour private meeting between Under Secretary Burns and the Argentine, Brazilian, and Chilean Vice Foreign Ministers prior to the meeting with other key players. The agenda for that meeting would be to discuss mandate renewal and ways to improve donor coordination and training for Haitian National police, he explained. Given that Washington is hosting the February 1 meeting, the Argentines have decided not to move forward with its plans to organize a separate meeting on mandate renewal in New York in late January, Colombo stated. He added that Argentina supports a 12-month renewal of MINUSTAH's mandate and has demarched China in Beijing, New York, and Port-au-Prince urging them to do the same, but is not optimistic that Beijing will come around. ¶3. (C) Colombo reported that at a January 17 meeting on Haiti among Argentine, Brazilian and Chilean officials in Buenos Aires, all agreed that ensuring Haiti's internal security remains their number one concern and priority. The Haitian National Police is ill-equipped to maintain law and order, and MINUSTAH troops are not authorized to provide for Haiti's internal security. To address this, the Argentines, Brazilians, and Chileans believe that Haiti Key Players should urge Canada to bolster its police training efforts and encourage other countries, such as the CARICOM nations, to supplement Canadian efforts, Colombo stated. Minister Bretton further suggested that perhaps the Dominican Republic could take a more active role in Haiti, particularly politically. Colombo noted additional concerns with what he called &the inordinate number" of Haitian criminals that are being freed from U.S. prisons early and returning to Haiti to reinsert themselves in gangs. Colombo also stated that there is concern that UNSYG Ban is not sufficiently engaged on peacekeeping operations in general, and Haiti in particular. They agreed that UNSYG Ban should be encouraged to pay greater attention to MINUSTAH's efforts in Haiti. ¶4. (C) Lax maritime security is also a problem and has resulted in a significant rise in arms and drug trafficking into Haiti, Colombo stated. Donor coordination and efforts to strengthen the economy also need to improve dramatically, since the average Haitian has not yet seen the benefits of foreign aid as it is currently distributed. In addition, he expressed concern with U.S. NGOs on the ground that continue to describe publicly the MINUSTAH presence as &occupation forces." Finally, he reported that all nine countries with a troop presence in Haiti will send representatives from the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs for a "2 plus 9" meeting in Lima, Peru on February 15. WAYNE