PREVAL CALLS FOR UNITY, HITS U.S. ON DRUG

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000042 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CAR S/CRS SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS TO USAID FOR LAC/CAR INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/10/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM HA SUBJECT: PREVAL CALLS FOR UNITY, HITS U.S. ON DRUG TRAFFICKING REF: 06 PORT AU PRINCE 2230 PORT AU PR 00000042 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador Janet A. Sanderson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ). ¶1. (C) Summary: President Preval used his constitutionally-mandated speech opening the new parliamentary session on January 8 to blame drug trafficking for instability in Haiti, which is a victim of the United States, "a drug-consuming country." Preval's speech followed a three-hour long discourse by Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis, during which he boasted about GoH accomplishments so far, specifically in the provinces. The presentations took place during parliament's opening ceremony for the second legislative session, where discord between the deputies and senators erupted over whether to sing the Haitian national anthem delayed proceedings by 45 minutes. Preval's address to the national assembly followed his attempt on January 1 to give a traditional new year's speech in Gonaives that he could not complete because of a faulty generator. The raucous and somewhat farcical atmosphere of both addresses shaped much of the public and press reaction, reinforcing the impression that Preval and his government have a shaky grasp of governance. Additionally, Preval's calculated criticism of the U.S. overshadowed coverage of Preval's exhortation to the Haitian people to overcome their internal divisions. End summary. BLAMING THE U.S. -------------- ¶2. (C) President Preval made instability caused by drug trafficking the focal point of his speech. Haiti, he explained, is neither a drug producer nor consumer and is therefore a victim of large consumer countries, principally the United States. Referring to the bilateral maritime agreement between the United States and Haiti, signed in 1997, he asked where are the results of this agreement and how many drug boats have they captured. (Comment: Preval's address laid out in public a line of thought, that the U.S. should be able to unilaterally interdict drugs coming into Haiti, he has voiced increasingly in private, most notably during INL A/S Ann Patterson's visit in November. He told Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller during his visit to Jamaica the previous week that neither Haiti nor Jamaica should be held responsible for the drug trafficking in their countries. End Comment.) ¶3. (U) Prior to the President's speech, Prime Minister Alexis spoke for nearly three hours, detailing his government's accomplishments and laying out priorities, specifically justice reform and curbing insecurity. In painstaking detail, he detailed each ministry's tasks as well as their ongoing activities. Alexis further highlighted the alleged role that deportees from the United States and Canada play in worsening the security environment and hindering the government from accomplishing more. Parliamentary Follies -------------- ¶4. (C) Prior to Preval's and Alexis' speeches. The 48th legislature opened the second ordinary session amid confusion after several deputies refused to start the ceremony until the singing of the national anthem was added to the agenda. The president of the national assembly, Senator Joseph Lambert, refused, stating that the internal rules would not permit it. In an atmosphere that resembled the floor of the New York stock exchange, deputies forced themselves to the microphone and yelled over the president of the assembly for 45 minutes in protest. Several deputies on the perimeter involved the diplomatic community and other VIPs, thumping their rule books and passing along papers to the bemused audience. The disorder prompted the Lambert to cede chairmanship of the session after he ultimately ceded to the deputies demand and the anthem was sung. (Note: Deputy Latortue Edouard told Poloff the following day that the senate rules did not permit the anthem on the senate floor, while the deputy rules did. The deputies felt that they PORT AU PR 00000042 002.2 OF 002 should not be bound by senate rules. End Note.) Aborted Address -------------- ¶5. (C) President Preval traveled to the port city of Gonaives on January 1 to deliver the customary new year's address. Shouting matches between supporters of the PM and supporters of local Senator Yuri Latortue interrupted the preceding speeches of the PM and Senator Lambert. While the President was speaking the generator for the PA system failed, restarted briefly, and then failed all together in a cloud of black smoke. The President folded his written speech and left the stage with a look of disdain and disappointment. (Comment: Rumors immediately spread the Latortue had sabotaged the generator in order to embarrass President Preval and departmental presidential representative Marc-Elie St. Hillian told Poloff on January 3 that he had evidence that Latortue poured sugar into the generator. Latortue publicly denied the allegations. End Comment.) Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) Comment: Preval began his address to the national assembly decrying Haiti's divisive political cultural and calling for Haitians to overcome their pettiness and pull together to rebuild the country, much as he had during his inaugural address the previous May. Amid the generator failure in Gonaives, the anthem fiasco at the parliament, and the general political bickering, the press and the public almost completely overlooked that message. Not surprisingly, the press seized on Preval's criticism of the United States, though a large measure of the public, according to one Port-au-Prince radio survey, believes that Preval is merely deflecting attention from his own failures to control criminality by raising drug trafficking. Preval's recent increased visibility -- though mandated by tradition and the constitution -- is a welcome in that it dampens speculation regarding his health and marks an end to several-month period of near public silence. These two addresses, however, delivered in almost farcical atmosphere, did little to reassure Haitians that they have solid leadership at the helm. SANDERSON