DPKO PRESENTS SYG'S REPORT ON MINUSTAH

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000705 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL UNSC KPKO HA SUBJECT: DPKO PRESENTS SYG'S REPORT ON MINUSTAH ¶1. (SBU) Summary. DPKO A/SYG Hedi Annabi briefed Friends of Haiti representatives on August 24 on the highlights of the SYG,s latest report on MINUSTAH. Although the SYG recommended no changes to MINUSTAH's mandate, he urged the UNSC to lower MINUSTAH,s troop strength by 140 and raise its police strength by the same number. Annabi also explained that the SYG,s request for 16 small boats is a first step to help Haiti improve its maritime border management. Noting that Haitian President Preval would soon travel to Beijing, Annabi expressed hope that the Chinese would support a one-year extension of MINUSTAH,s mandate. Friends of Haiti delegates generally welcomed the SYG,s recommendations. Latin American delegates urged the UN to appoint Latin American officials to senior civilian positions within MINUSTAH. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hedi Annabi convened Friends of Haiti representatives on August 24 to highlight the SYG's latest report on the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which was released to UNSC members on August 23 (Note: The report was e-mailed to IO/PSC and WHA/CAR. End Note.). Annabi, who is scheduled to succeed Edmund Mulet in October 2007 as Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) in Haiti, noted that the report recommends no changes to MINUSTAH's mandate. He underscored that although much progress has been made in Haiti over the past year, the security situation there remains fragile and the Haitian National Police (HNP) under-equipped. MINUSTAH still carries out about 85 percent of the security-related operations nationwide. Annabi predicted that MINUSTAH would need to remain in Haiti for a "number of years to come" and that any downsizing of the force should be linked to specific benchmarks in Haitian Government capacity. He noted that Haitian President Preval would soon travel to Beijing (NFI) and expressed hope that the visit would help persuade China to support a one-year extension of MINUSTAH's mandate. ¶3. (U) Turning to MINUSTAH's priorities, Annabi said the mission would support Preval's focus on HNP reform, anti-corruption efforts, rebuilding of state institutions, and improved border management. Towards this end, the SYG has recommended an increase in MINUSTAH's engineering capacity and its ability to support HNP maritime security efforts. Annabi noted that the SYG also recommended that the troop ceiling be lowered by 140 and the police ceiling be increased by 140 officers. He acknowledged that the UN's ideas on how to improve Haiti's border management, which he said costs Haiti roughly USD 200 million per year in lost customs revenue, need to be given more thought. As a first step, the SYG has recommended that MINUSTAH deploy up to 16 small boats at 6-7 key ports in Haiti that would be manned by MINUSTAH troops, UN police, and HNP officers. Annabi said the UN had not yet received offers to supply these small craft but hoped that the Friends of Haiti could supply some or all of the boats. He agreed that judicial reform has proceeded slowly in Haiti thusfar, but argued that MINUSTAH must take its direction from the Haitian Government and parliament, which have not moved quickly on this issue. ¶4. (SBU) Friends of Haiti representatives expressed general support for the SYG's recommendations and wished Annabi well in his assignment as SRSG. In a veiled reference to Latin American pique at not being consulted on the SYG's decision to appoint Annabi, rather than a Latin American official, to succeed Mulet as SRSG in Haiti, the Argentine PR emphasized the importance of appointing Latin American candidates to senior civilian positions in MINUSTAH. He joined the Chilean PR in urging DPKO to give serious consideration to the Chilean candidate for the MINUSTAH Rule of Law Coordinator position. Arguing that MINUSTAH would have to take on more of a development focus to secure the gains recently achieved in Haiti, the Chilean and Brazilian representatives both stressed the importance of MINUSTAH quick-impact projects (QUIPS). The Canadian delegate identified security sector reform, counter-narcotics, and anti-corruption efforts as Canada's highest priorities in Haiti. After welcoming MINUSTAH's recent success in Haiti, USUN asked about the budgetary implications of the SYG's recommendations for force levels and maritime support, which DPKO agreed to examine. KHALILZAD