PM BELLERIVE PROPOSES NEW CABINET: NOTHING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000935 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR S, C, WHA/CAR, DRL, S/CRS, AND INL INL FOR KEVIN BROWN, HEATHER WILD AND MEAGAN MCBRIDE INR/IAA SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KAID PINR HA SUBJECT: PM BELLERIVE PROPOSES NEW CABINET: NOTHING UNEXPECTED PORT AU PR 00000935 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Prime Minister Bellerive proposed a new cabinet to Parliament on November 9, 2009. Bellerive appointed seven new Ministers to key positions including Minister of Justice and Finance, drawn mostly from President Preval's allies. Bellerive also reached out to former President Aristide's Fanmi Lavalas sympathizers, possibly to garner support for Preval's new political movement, his ''grand party''. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) Jean Max Bellerive was quickly ratified by both Chambers of Parliament over the weekend following the ousting of Prime Minister Pierre Louis on October 29. Bellerive will present his general policy and proposed cabinet to Parliament on November 9, 2009. Bellerive intends to keep 10 out of 17 Ministers under outgoing Prime Minister Pierre Louis. The seven new appointments are to the Ministry of Justice (Paul Denis),Social Affairs (Yves Cristalin),Foreign Affairs (Marie Michele Rey),Finance (Ronald Beaudin),Commerce and Industry (Jocelyne Colimon Fethiere),Women,s Affairs (Marjorie Michel) and Haitians Living Abroad (Edwin Paraison). Ministers of Interior, Public Works, Agriculture, Health, Education, Environment, Tourism, Parliamentary Affairs, and Sports remain in their position. Bellerive also stays as the head of the Ministry of Planning. ¶3. (SBU) As expected, allies of President Preval will replace outgoing ministers, especially in the key Ministries of Justice and Finance. Preval and Bellerive have also appointed three Fanmi Lavalas sympathizers (Cristalin, Michel and Rey) to their new cabinet, possibly as a means to entice Lavalas' popular base into Preval's new political movement. ¶4. (SBU) The proposed Cabinet is as listed below. Post will provide complete biographies once Parliament approves Bellerive's proposal. -- Minister of Interior: Paul Antoine Bien Aime(re-appointed). -- Minister of Agriculture: Joanas Gue (re-appointed). -- Minister of Public Works: Jacques Gabriel (re-appointed). -- Minister of Education: Joel Desrosiers (re-appointed). -- Minister of Sport and Youth: Evans Lescouflair (re-appointed). -- Minister of Culture and Communication: Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue, former Minister of Women,s Affairs under the Pierre-Louis government. -- Minister of Health: Alex Larsen (re-appointed). -- Minister of Environment: Jean-Marie Claude Germain (re-appointed). -- Minister of Tourism: Patrick Delatour (re-appointed). -- Minister of Justice: Paul Denis, an advisor to President Preval and a former opposition leader (OPL). Denis left OPL to join Preval,s cabinet and is heavily involved in the creation of Preval,s new political movement. -- Minister of Foreign Affairs: Marie Michele Rey, a former Minister of Finance under Jean Bertrand Aristide in 1991 and Fanmi Lavalas sympathizer. -- Minister of Finance: Ronald Beaudin, a former Director General at the Ministry of Finance and most recently an advisor to outgoing Prime Minister Pierre Louis. He is reputedly close to Preval and is the brother in law of former Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis. -- Minister of Social Affairs: Yves Cristalin, an advisor to President Preval and former President of the Chamber of Deputies. Cristalin is a founding member of Fanmi Lavalas and remains close to the Lavalas branch under former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune. -- Minister of Haitians Living Abroad: Edwin Paraison, an Episcopalian priest and former consul in the Dominican Republic. Paraison has been involved in Haitian migrant issues. -- Minister of Commerce and Industry: Jocelyne Colimon Fethiere. -- Minister of Women,s Affairs: Marjorie Michel, former manager at the Aristide Foundation. Michel has close ties to former President Jean Bertrand Aristide and radical parts of Fanmi Lavalas, and is reputedly in a relationship with Senator John Joel Joseph, a Preval ally rumored to be linked PORT AU PR 00000935 002.2 OF 002 to kidnappings. -- Minister of Parliamentary Affairs: Joseph Jasmin (re-appointed). MERTEN