HAITI MONTHLY: SEPTEMBER, 2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT AU PRINCE 001620 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR S/CRS SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR INR/IAA WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON HA SUBJECT: HAITI MONTHLY: SEPTEMBER, 2007 REF: PORT AU PRINCE 1198 PORT AU PR 00001620 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (U) Summary: This is a monthly report on various topics of interest which do not merit a full reporting cable. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) LOVINSKY PIERRE-ANTOINE KIDNAPPING STILL A MYSTERY. Frantz Thermilus, Director General for the Judicial Police (DCPJ) told Poloff at a reception September 20 that his ''professional opinion'' is that Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine, allegedly kidnapped on August 12, is likely deceased. (Note: Pierre-Antoine is a known Lavalas member and Aristide supporter. He claimed to have the full support of ex-President Jean Bertrand Aristide to run under the Lavalas political party umbrella in the next senatorial elections. End note.) Despite expressed interest from U.S.-based human rights group, his name has virtually disappeared from media headlines in Haiti and his own Lavalas party remains unusually silent. Thermilus said he has no evidence that the alleged kidnapping was politically motivated, but believes the kidnappers may have known Pierre-Antoine personally and pursued their course of action to extort money. (Note: Pierre-Antoine openly bragged about having received $200,000 from Aristide to support his run for a senate seat, and that figure is reportedly the same amount as the ransom demanded immediately following the alleged kidnapping. End note). Pierre Esperance of the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights, also present during the discussion, noted Lavalas' relative silence over the kidnapping, and that no elected Lavalas official has pursued the matter publicly. Haitian National Police are continuing with the investigation. ¶3. (U) JUSTICE RETURNS TO CITE SOLEIL. The Tribunal of Cite Soleil, following rehabilitation through the Haiti Stabilization Initiative (HSI),was operational even prior to the Ambassador's inauguration of the building on September ¶10. Jean-Philippe Laberge, MINUSTAH Civil Affairs' coordinator for red zones, reported to Poloff on September 7 that citizens are reporting crimes daily to the HNP stationed at Strong Point 16 (SP16),also known as Marche Boulos. (Note: For the last three weeks, the HNP has stationed two officers at SP16 24 hours a day. End note.) The HNP officer gives each claimant proper documentation of the report and sends him or her to the Tribunal a few blocks away on Route Nationale 1, where a justice of the peace hears the complaint. HNP, UNPOL and a Chinese Formed Police Unit (FPU) are on the scene to pursue the suspect and deliver him or her to the tribunal, where justices of the peace immediately process the case. Laberge said the number of complaints registered, mostly for theft and other petty crimes, increases daily. (Comment: The Cite Soleil Tribunal has not been operational for several years. The almost immediate willingness of the citizens to make use of the justice system is a positive indicator in a neighborhood long considered ''lawless.'' End comment.) ¶4. (U) HIGH LEVEL FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL VISITS HAITI. French Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights Rami Yade visited Haiti September 14-15, meeting with the President and Prime Minister and visiting Cap Haitien. The extensive coverage of this visit in the Haitian media was in no small part due to her Senegalese origin. In her speech to Haitian officials and foreign diplomats attended by Poloff, she recalled France's oppressive historical role in Haiti and called for all to look to the future. She evoked how African nations striving for independence had looked to Haiti for inspiration, even while she noted Haiti's long history of oppressive government and social misery. Showing that she had done some history homework, Yade cited several Haitian writers who she claimed had inspired Senegalese leader Leopold Senghor. Nearly all questions from Haitians in the audience inquired about how France could assist Haiti more effectively. Just before departing, Yade said that President Preval had extended an invitation to President Sarkozy to visit Haiti. ¶5. (U) CIVIL REGISTRATION REOPENS. Haiti's National Identity Office (ONI),with assistance from the OAS, opened the first three civil registry offices on August 31, a month after the planned opening date of August 1. (Note: The PORT AU PR 00001620 002.2 OF 003 offices double as voter registration offices. Registration has been closed since 2005; see ref. End note.) As of September 12, 28 offices were open across the country, and nearly 12,000 citizens had registered. OAS technical expert Felix Ortega told Poloff on September 12 that most ONI offices are located within city halls, per an agreement between the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior. Ortega said the operational cost for the offices are limited, as they use solar panels for power and are reusing laptops purchased for the 2005 registration season. When the electoral council (CEP) needs a voter list, it must file a request with ONI 15 days in advance. For the first elections under this system, the OAS plans to produce the voter list, with the expectation that ONI will independently produce lists for subsequent elections. The OAS is also advising ONI on security, payroll, logistics and their website. Once operational, the ONI website will post weekly registration statistics. ¶6. (U) ILLEGAL CUBAN, CHINESE AND VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS USE HAITI AS TRANSIT POINT TO THE U.S. Yves Stanley Joseph, the Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Interior, told Poloff on September 21 that his ministry has noticed a marked increased in third country nationals using Haiti as a transit point for illegal migration. Due to the illegal migrants' lack of proper travel documents, Joseph said that the Haitian immigration inspectors ''had to accept'' an increasing number of Cubans, Chinese, and Venezuelans that the Dominican authorities turned away at the border. Stanley believed that many of these individuals came from Cuba with the plan of going through Haiti to the Dominican Republic, and then on to Puerto Rico and the United States. Stanley claimed that preliminary evidence indicated that the human trafficking was organized by Dominicans. Since the Haitian immigration inspectors are not able to identify fraudulent Chinese and Venezuelan passports, Stanley asked if the Embassy could arrange training sessions for them. Consular Affairs is seeking ways to support the request. ¶7. (U) DUVALIERISTS CELEBRATE ''PAPA DOC'' 50TH ANNIVERSARY. Fifty years to the date that Francois ''Papa Doc'' Duvalier took office, hundreds turned out to celebrate on September 22 at the Duvalier Party Headquarters in Port-au-Prince. The party-goers held a huge reception in honor of Duvalier, with many participants brought in truckloads to attend the event from neighboring towns. Duvalier's son, exiled ex-dictator Jean-Claude ''Baby Doc'' Duvalier spoke of ''peace and reconciliation'' in a radio address from France. He additionally made a plea to the Haitian people to forgive him for the excesses of his government and his father's. (Note: Having made it clear on prior occasions his desire to return to Haiti, Duvalier was careful to make no mention of returning to politics if he were permitted to return. End note.) ¶8. (U) EMBASSY FORUM ON BIOFUELS A SUCCESS. On September 20, post sponsored a forum on the development of a biofuels industry in Haiti. The forum was attended by more than 40 representatives from the Government of Haiti (GoH),the private sector, and civil society as well as university students. The forum was also covered by a number of Haitian media outlets. The Department of State-sponsored keynote speaker, Dr. Johanna Mendelson Foreman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS),provided an overview of the economic and environmental impetus for biofuel production and the opportunities and challenges for the biofuels market in Haiti. Key themes from the forum included: the possibility of biofuels production in Haiti for both internal and external markets, the need to overcome challenges such as the production cost of biofuels versus petroleum products, and the development of standards and regulations for the biofuels market matched to those in the U.S. ¶9. (U) PRESIDENT PREVAL ASKS FOR U.S. HELP TO FIGHT CORRUPTION. Preval told Ambassador and U.S. Treasury official on September 25 that he needs help to stamp out financial crimes and corruption. Preval said he has the political will to fight corruption, but not the expertise. He appreciated the Secretary's rapid response to his August PORT AU PR 00001620 003.2 OF 003 request for U.S. assistance to re-launch Haiti's Financial Crimes Task Force and pledged to support a proposed Treasury plan to help build Haitian capacity to investigate and prosecute money laundering, terrorist financing, corruption, and the seizure and confiscation of assets. (Note: U.S. Treasury Office of Technical Assistance Director Carlos Correa met with President Preval, the Minister of Justice, the Governor of the Central Bank and other key officials to discuss draft terms of reference and a related work plan to facilitate technical assistance during a visit to Haiti September 23-26. GOH officials are currently reviewing the drafts for response. End Note.) TIGHE