HAITI: JUNE 2009 NAS MONTHLY REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT AU PRINCE 000710 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR INL FOR KEVIN BROWN, HEATHER WILD, AND MEAGAN MCBRIDE S/CRS SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR INR/IAA WHA/EX PLEASE PASS TO USOAS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR PREL PGOV KCRM HA SUBJECT: HAITI: JUNE 2009 NAS MONTHLY REPORT PORT AU PR 00000710 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. The following summarizes Post's INL/NAS and counternarcotics activities in June 2009. -------------- Meetings -------------- ¶2. On June 4, the Mini Dublin Group met for the first time in 18 months in Port au Prince in preparation for the Dublin Group meeting to be held in July. The group is now chaired by the French and it is hoped that the group will meet regularly to share drug trafficking information. Representatives of France, Japan, Canada, U.S., Germany, and the GOH participated. The head of the Center for Information and Joint Coordination (CICC) and the head of the Haitian National Police (HNP) counternarcotics unit briefed the group on the latest trends in drug trafficking through Haiti, which include onward transport to not only the U.S., Canada and Europe but West Africa as well. This infomation was of great interest to the European participants as a possible additional avenue of drug entry into Europe meriting increased attention. ¶3. NAS Director met with delegations from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Colombian National Police (CNP) on separate occasions to discuss possible enhanced bilateral involvement by the RCMP and the CNP with the HNP. The RCMP is looking to establish an MOU on bilateral assistance with the HNP. They indicated interest in working in six priority areas: major crimes investigations, counternarcotics investigations, border management, training management, logistics, and financial management. They intend to bring subject matter experts in those areas to Haiti. NAS welcomed their interest but reminded them that the U.S. has strong involvement in both the counternarcotics arena and the training management of the HNP Academy. If Canada chose to work in those areas we would need close coordination to ensure effective delivery of assistance that did not duplicate or conflict. The CNP sent a team consisting of two officers from their planning division and one from their intelligence operation to assess the possibilities of bilateral assistance to the HNP. They indicated a particular interest in working in counternarcotics, border control, and anti-kidnapping. As they were just in the preliminary stages of their assessment, they agreed to return at the end of their six-week stay to update NAS on their findings and future plans. ¶4. NAS Director also met with a representative of the Chilean mission in Haiti to discuss current use of UN police advisors (UNPOLs) by MINUSTAH as well as coordination with the ABC (Argentina, Brasil and Chile) Group of Latin countries. Chile, like the U.S., Canada and France, has noted that the UNPOLs are often not assigned by MINUSTAH to those units or areas that could best use their specific expertise. Chile intends to raise this issue at the ABC meeting of ministers to be held in August in Chile. That will be the second such meeting to discuss ABC involvement with the HNP. NAS Director reiterated our longstanding request that the United States be invited to these meetings as Canada had been to avoid possible duplication of plans put forward by those countires. The meeting in December 2008 resulted in formation of a working group on the HNP that is duplicative of the Police Sector Group of the G10, in which the Latin American countries are also invited to participate. NAS Director and the Permanent Representative of the OAS, who chairs the second working group, are now holding joint meetings of the police sector working groups to bring all donors into greater coordination. ¶5. NAS Director also accompanied the IO/PSC Haiti desk officer to a briefing with the MINUSTAH Deputy Police Commissioner for Development. He briefed them on the current HNP reform plan, MINUSTAH functions under the current mandate as related to the police, expanding bilateral programs with Colombia, Jamaica and Cuba, and HNP procurement problems PORT AU PR 00000710 002.2 OF 003 related to weapons and ammunition. -------------- Project Updates -------------- ¶6. NAS Sr. Police Advisor visited Port de Paix for the second time to conduct additional assessments of the proposed site for the new Coast Guard base there. The GOH has indicated that it will be able to provide the necessary land documentation within 60 days. NAS has been working with the HNP, MLO, and MINUSTAH to develop plans for the base to begin the SOW process. The base will be built with $500,000 from Merida funds. ¶7. The Minister of Justice (MOJ) invited the NAS Director and Sr. Police Advisor to tour a new proposed site for the construction of two longstanding NAS projects: an HNP fleet maintenance garage and a new women's prison. The site in Tabarre that has been selected by the MOJ is one of the properties seized under the highly successful INL/NAS anti-money laundering project from a drug trafficker convicted in the United States. The property is sufficiently large to accommodate both facilities as well as a small commissarait, which is needed in the rapidly developing neighborhood (where the U.S. Embassy is also located). A partially completed four story strucutre already exists there as well as outdoor pavilions that could be used as vehicle repair bays. ¶8. US Treasury OTA experts paid their monthly visit to Haiti to continue work with the Financial Intelligence Unit (UCREF) and the HNP Financial Crimes Unit (BAFE) as part of the anti-money laundering project. They are working with UCREF on identifying a new location for the unit as they must vacate facilities currently owned by the Central Bank. The GOH has made an offer on the old USG-owned Marine house and is in negotiations to buy that facility, which already has an enhanced security perimeter that is attractive to UCREF in light of the sensitive nature of its work. OTA experts also met with USAID and NAS to discuss the installation of UNODC software to analyze and investigate questionable financial transactions. The software developed by UNODC and already in use in several countries would take the two units to the next level in terms of being able to proactively track and analyze possible illegal transactions. USAID has agreed to fund the installation for UCREF under its rule of law program while NAS will fund the HNP BAFE installation using counternarcotics funds. -------------- Counternarcotics -------------- ¶9. In June the HNP made two seizures of marijuana in southern Haiti: one of 468 kilos and the second of 115.68 kilos. 13 suspects were arrested with those loads. In addition, an investigation of a clandestine landing and offload of cocaine yielded 13 arrests for theft and distribution and seizure of two weapons and approximately $26,000 USD. -------------- NAS Personnel -------------- ¶10. Four NAS staff received awards in June in recognition of their outstanding work in furthering USG security goals in Haiti: Franck Timothe and Eudoxie Bien-Aime - Franklin Awards, PSC Sr Police Advisor Angela Maddox Chainer - Certificate of Appreciation and NAS Director Joyce Namde - Superior Honor Award. ¶11. Interviews were held and a candidate selected for the Merida Program Assistant position. NAS is awaiting completion PORT AU PR 00000710 003.2 OF 003 of the clearance process to bring that person on board. TIGHE