VISIT OF SENATOR BILL NELSON TO HAITI, JANUARY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 PORT AU PRINCE 000130

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR
DRL
S/CRS
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA)
TREASURY FOR MAUREEN WAFER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL UNSC HA
SUBJECT: VISIT OF SENATOR BILL NELSON TO HAITI, JANUARY
12-13

REF: A. BEIJING 410

B. BEIJING 371

C. 06 PAP 1393


1. This message is sensitive but unclassified -- protect
accordingly.


2. (SBU) Summary. Senator Bill Nelson (D-Florida) on
January 12-13 led a congressional delegation to
Port-au-Prince that included the Deputy Commander of the U.S.
Southern Command, Major General Glenn Spears. CODEL Nelson,
accompanied by the Ambassador and Emboffs, held meetings with
Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) Mulet,
Prime Minister Alexis, President Preval, and Haitian National
Police (HNP) chief Andresol, and visited USAID-funded
projects providing vocational education to school drop-outs
and promoting community stability in poor neighborhoods.
Sen. Nelson raised the issues of security, narcotics
trafficking, and the MINUSTAH mandate renewal, warning that
the GoH dispute with China should not endanger Security
Council renewal of MINUSTAH's mandate. Sen. Nelson's
interlocutors agreed that the security situation was the most
pressing problem confronting Haiti, but expressed confidence
that ongoing MINUSTAH and HNP operations against criminal
gangs would lead to improved security. President Preval
stressed that the U.S. needed to do more to interdict drugs
transiting Haiti on their way to the U.S. Sen. Nelson noted
that trafficking patterns had changed, with more drug
shipments originating in Venezuela, and that the U.S. was
committed to strengthening cooperation with Haiti to combat
new patterns in trafficking. On China, President Preval
expressed frustration with the Chinese position, maintaining
the GoH had done nothing to warrant their displeasure, but
recognized the importance preventing a Chinese veto of the
MINUSTAH mandate. He indicated he would dispatch his Foreign
Minister to consult with Chinese officials to resolve the
dispute. (Note: He has since indicated that he may send
another senior advisor instead. End Note.) Haitian
officials thanked the Senator for his support of the HOPE
legislation, and asked for continued assistance in
implementation to allow Haiti to enjoy maximum benefits of
the new trade benefits. End Summary.

SRSG Mulet
--------------


3. (SBU) SRSG Edmond Mulet (Guatemala),accompanied by his
deputy, Luiz Carlos da Costa (Brazil),newly-arrived force
commander General Carlos Albert Dos Santos Cruz (Brazil),and
acting UN Police (UNPol) Commissioner Richard Warren
(Australia) called at the Ambassador's residence on the
evening of January 12 to meet Senator Nelson. The Senator
thanked the MINUSTAH officials for their service to Haiti
and, stressing the paramount importance of establishing
security, asked for an update of MINUSTAH actions. SRSG
Mulet responded that the MINUSTAH initiative launched on
December 22 to target the most dangerous gang leaders was
ongoing. Though MINUSTAH had not been able to capture
gang-leader Beloney in their initial operation, they had
destroyed and effectively quarantined his compound. MINUSTAH
was planning operations against other gang leaders in Cite
Soleil and continuing to support the Haitian National Police
(HNP) in combating crime throughout Port-au-Prince. In
response to Senator Nelson's query, General Dos Santos Cruz
affirmed that his troops had the necessary support from UN
headquarters to take action against criminals. SRSG Mulet
explained that the commitments from the troop contributing
countries were firm, but that maintaining the authorized
number of UNPol officers in the mission had been more
difficult. UNPol remained roughly 200 officers below its
authorized level of 1,692.


4. (SBU) SRSG Mulet noted that with Security Council
discussions regarding the renewal of the MINUSTAH mandate set
to begin on January 29, time was running out for the GoH to
satisfy Chinese concerns regarding the GoH's actions
regarding the one China policy and head off a Chinese veto of
the mandate renewal. Mulet understood that Beijing had

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instructed its UN Permrep to veto the renewal, thus signaling
that the GoH would have to meet the Chinese demand for
formal written apology. (Note: Subsequent reporting from
Embassy Beijing (refs A and B) somewhat contradicts Mulet's
account of the Chinese position. End Note.) Mulet heartily
approved of Senator Nelson's suggestion that he press the
need to resolve the GoH's dispute with China in his meetings
with President Preval and Prime Minister Alexis.

Prime Minister Alexis
--------------


5. (SBU) Senator Nelson met Prime Minister Jacques Edouard
Alexis at his office on the morning of January 13. The PM
began by noting that GOH priorities are establishing security
and putting the country &on track8 for socio-economic
development. The PM thanked the USG for the passage of the
HOPE Act (allowing for increased export of garments from
Haiti to the U.S.) and stated that the U.S. was Haiti's most
important bilateral partner. The USG should continue to
support the strengthening of Haiti,s institutions,
particularly the HNP, and continue its programs for health
care, potable water, education, infrastructure,
reforestation, and the control of drug trafficking; and help
Haiti deal with criminal deportees. Regarding security,
MINUSTAH and the HNP were making progress, but that the HNP
should take more responsibility, as they were better suited
to deal with the gangs and is less likely to inflict
collateral damage.


6. (SBU) Noting that he would be speaking to
Haitian-Americans in Florida on a conference call at the end
of the day, Senator Nelson asked what assistance he should
ask for Haiti. The PM stressed education, citing the need to
build and equip schools, and to train teachers. Regarding
China, the PM stated that President Preval was responsible
for GoH policy. The GoH would not, in any case, send a
letter of apology to the PRC.

President Preval
--------------


7. (SBU) Senator Nelson met President Preval at the national
palace, immediately following his meeting with the Prime
Minister. Prime Minister Alexis, Justice Minister Rene
Magloire, Finance Minister Daniel Dorsainvil and presidential
economic counselors Elizabeth Delatour and Gabriel Verret
joined President Preval for the meeting. President Preval
thanked Senator Nelson for his support for Haiti and for the
passage of HOPE, and asked for the U.S. Congress' assistance
in helping the GoH and the private sector meet the
requirements of HOPE legislation and increase exports.
Senator Nelson deferred to the Ambassador, who pointed out
that it was now up to the executive branch within the USG to
lead implementation, and that the Embassy had already
established consultations with the GoH and the private
sector. She urged President Preval to communicate to
working level GoH officials the importance that he attached
to HOPE implementation.


9. (SBU) President Preval also asked for assistance in
obtaining bills of lading in advance for ships embarking from
Florida to Haiti in order to facilitate collection of customs
duties. Haiti was losing hundreds of millions of dollars in
customs revenue, and the GoH had found a partner in the U.S.
to collect duties on goods prior to their arrival in Haiti.
The GoH's partner had informed him, however, that the U.S.
federal authorities must authorize the advance provision of
bills of lading.


10. (SBU) President Preval stressed the role that drugs play
in the country's insecurity. Drug trafficking led to
corruption in the police force as well as the justice system,
which created an insecure environment despite the presence of
MINUSTAH. His statement at the parliament (blaming the U.S.
for Haiti's drug problem due to its role as a consumer
country) was not meant to offend anyone but to draw attention
to facts. The idea for a drug summit between Haiti,

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Colombia, and the Dominican Republic had come to him during
his visit to Nicaragua for President Ortega's inauguration,
and those presidents had agreed. They subsequently thought
to include Jamaica and the Bahamas, and Preval hoped that
"consumer countries" would also attend. Senator Nelson
responded that the U.S. needed to address the demand side of
the drug problem. He added that most of the drugs entering
Haiti came from Venezuela, posing a new challenge in
combatting transshipment through Haiti. General Spears
briefly described the efforts of SOUTHCOM to minimize drug
flow in the region and said that SOUTHCOM will share
intelligence with countries to assist with arrest and
prosecution.

Preval on China
--------------


11. (SBU) Senator Nelson raised the GoH dispute with China,
noting the importance of ensuring that China does not veto
MINUSTAH's mandate renewal. President Preval agreed that
MINUSTAH,s presence was critical, but complained that China
had tried to continually increase its demands on Haiti for
approval of UN mandates going back to the missions of the
1990s. President Preval said that China was mistaken in
believing that Haiti sought UN recognition for Taiwan: the
GoH supported the "one China" policy. The problem originated
with his meeting with the Chinese Permrep to the UN in New
York last spring, and he suspected that his statements were
not translated properly. President Preval intended to send
the Minister of Foreign Affairs to New York to discuss the
issue and assured Senator Nelson that the GoH is not
launching an international crisis. (Note: President Preval
has since indicated that he will also dispatch presidential
Secretary General Fritz Longchamps, a former foreign minister

SIPDIS
and closer advisor than the foreign minister, to Beijing.
End Note.)

HNP DG Andresol
--------------


12. (SBU) The Senator met with HNP Director General Mario
Andresol at HNP headquarters on the afternoon of January 13.
He thanked DG Andresol for his commitment and asked for his
views on the drug problem. Andresol explained that drug
shipments arrived by air throughout Haiti and that he needed
to better disburse his counter-drug resources. At present,
he had to dispatch his officers from Port-au-Prince, making
it nearly impossible to interdict drugs in the field. To
compensate, he established checkpoints on the main routes
into and out of Port-au-Prince to intercept drugs transited
over land, but he lacked sufficient personnel to undertake a
comprehensive effort. Even if he were better able to do his
job, Haiti's justice system remained weak and impunity was an
enormous problem. Haiti should accept help in transferring
criminals outside of Haiti if other countries could prosecute
them. This was a political issue, Andresol lamented, and
nationalism often overrode other interests.


13. (SBU) Andresol echoed comments made by MINUSTAH
officials regarding operations in Cite Soleil. Even though
MINUSTAH and the HNP had not captured Beloney they had
destroyed his organization. MINUSTAH and the HNP would move
against gang leader Evans Jeune before Carnival. There had
been a lack of coordination and shared vision between
MINUSTAH and the HNP in the past, but cooperation had
improved greatly, particularly between the HNP and UNPol.
Senator Nelson raised the possibility of more U.S. police
officers coming to MINUSTAH to assist the HNP, which Andresol
enthusiastically welcomed, adding that he needed more
assistance from the U.S. for the special HNP units such as
the SWAT team.


14. (SBU) Senator Nelson inquired about vetting, and DG
Andresol replied that vetting had just begun with himself and
ten senior officials. The PM had asked him to conclude the
vetting process quickly, and he expected to dismiss between
500 and 1,000 HNP officers as a result. He had already fired
535 officers, and there were others whom he could not fire

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but whom he did not trust. Vetting was a potential morale
problem, and he needed to make clear that he would fairly
implement the process for the good of the HNP and that it was
not a process directed at certain individuals. He also
needed to proceed in a phased manner so he did not disrupt
HNP operations. The HNP force currently stood at roughly
7,000, and a new class of over 600 officers would begin
training in February.

Visits to USAID projects
--------------


15. (U) Senator Nelson visited a USAID-funded youth
training center located in Carrefour-Feuilles, a densely
populated and often violent slum area. The visit took place
in a community-based organization that is implementing the
Haiti Out-of-School Youth Livelihood Initiative (IDEJEN),a
project that targets unschooled youth and primary school
dropouts ages 15 to 24 and provides them with a package of
education, workforce and health services. IDEJEN workers
briefed Senator on the project's aims as well as on the
weaknesses in Haiti's education system which produces a high
number of dropouts. He toured the center and observed youth
in sewing and plumbing classes and spoke to them about their
life circumstances and the positive impact the project is
having on them. He was encouraged to learn that the youth in
the sewing classes would receive a credential from the
Ministry of Education and that, in the implementation of the
HOPE Act legislation, the young women would be highly
competitive for jobs in the textile sector.


16. (U) The Senator followed with a visit to a multi-purpose
playground in the Macira community of Delmas. He was greeted
by leaders of the association that developed and submitted
the project idea to USAID's implementing partner, the
International Organization for Migration (IOM). After a tour
of the constructed facilities, the Senator, and party, had a
conversation with community leaders. The spokesperson thanked
the USG for its support, spoke of the importance of a safe
place for young people to gather and play sports, and of the
fact that the playground was used for weddings, receptions
and civic events. The spokesperson stated that the
USAID-funded activities had restored confidence and hope, and
reduced crime. As a result, people have returned to live in
Macira. The Senator toured an area adjacent to the community
playground to see the condition of the streets before the
street paving project.


17. (U) Senator Nelson's office cleared this message.


18. (SBU) Comment. Senator Nelson took the opportunity of
his press conference just prior to his departure to clarify
the nature of the drug transshipment problem confronting
Haiti and the U.S., pointing out that traffickers transship
drugs through Haiti primarily by air, thus posing a different
challenge than that addressed by our joint 1998 maritime
agreement that President Preval cites in demanding more
action by the U.S. The Ambassador, Emboffs, and General
Spears had opportunities to clarify this point with other
senior GoH officials on the margins of Senator Nelson's
meetings, and they have asked for further briefings. With
the Drug Enforcement Administrator planning to visit Haiti
shortly, we have an excellent opportunity to move beyond
current misunderstandings on GoH side and cement a basis for
more productive cooperation.
SANDERSON