APRIL 6 UN SECURITY COUNCIL MINUSTAH OPEN

UNCLAS STATE 033393 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL UNSC KPKO HA SUBJECT: APRIL 6 UN SECURITY COUNCIL MINUSTAH OPEN DEBATE ¶1. USUN may draw upon the following points during the April 6 UN Security Council open debate. Begin points. -The United States would like to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Hedi Annabi for his briefing today. We welcome the March 6 report of the Secretary-General. Let me also thank everyone in Haiti, the country's leadership and the representatives of the private sector and civil society, for their warm reception during the Security Council visit last month. I am pleased that former President Clinton and the Secretary-General were also able to visit Haiti, bringing much helpful attention to the situation in the country. -The United States salutes the work of MINUSTAH, and we recognize the Mission's bravery and commitment to the stabilization of Haiti. Thanks to the efforts of MINUSTAH and the Haitian people, our Security Council Mission found that Haiti is making significant progress in consolidating security, including strengthening the Haitian National Police (HNP). In the area of security, the Mission has made remarkable gains and we hope that its accomplishments will be emulated. -The gains and the progress, however laudable, are also fragile. The United States recognizes the extreme hardships Haiti faces in the wake of the food crisis, the global financial crisis, and the hurricanes and storms that swept across the country last year. These events could seriously undermine the tenuous security situation and worsen the poverty and privation of the Haitian people. We support MINUSTAH's critical efforts to maintain stability in Haiti, thereby providing the foundation for growth and development. We should not view security and development as separate, but as intertwined. -Considering the difficulties of the past year, the United States is particularly encouraged by the progress Haiti has made toward four of the five benchmarks outlined by the Secretary-General. We recognize, however, that progress in some key areas has fallen short of expectations. We remain committed to the Mission and to Haiti, and we urge the Haitian leadership, the UN, troop contributing countries, and other partners to remain engaged and to deepen our common effort to stabilize the country. -Despite recent setbacks, the United States is optimistic about the advances that have been made in professionalizing the HNP, which is moving toward the goal of having 14,000 officers in its ranks by 2011. More than 9000 Haitians have already been trained and vetted, and nearly 500 new officers will graduate by the second half of 2009. The United States again commends MINUSTAH, as well as bilateral donors, for their technical support and contributions to building up the HNP's capabilities. To maintain Haiti's national security, it will need its police forces to stand on their own. The United States will work with MINUSTAH to support the expansion of the training facilities at the HNP academy and create specialized and leadership training for the country's forces. -The United States is seriously concerned about the desperate poverty, malnutrition, lack of education, and other socioeconomic problems that still bedevil Haiti. We stand by the Secretary-General's calls to link the progress in the security sector to coordination and relief efforts. In this regard, the United States looks forward to participating in the April 14 Donors Conference on Haiti hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington. The Conference provides an opportunity for donors and the government of Haiti jointly to move forward on a path for Haiti's recovery and future economic development. -We congratulate Haitian leaders for their efforts in getting the country back on its feet, and we call on the Government to take advantage of the benefits and prosperity that HOPE II legislation can bring to Haiti. As the Secretary-General has highlighted, HOPE II provides a huge window of opportunity for access to U.S. markets. This program offers Haiti a crucial opportunity to move beyond assistance to genuine economic growth, and above all, job creation. As the Security Council saw during our trip, persistent poverty and unemployment among Haiti's young people have created an environment prone to civil unrest, which threatens to undo many of the advances that have been made in Haiti. -The Security Council also heard serious concerns about the scourge of drug trafficking in Haiti. The United States is concerned about the impact of international narcotics trafficking on both the people of Haiti and the region. The United States is optimistic that the continued professionalization of the HNP, stabilization efforts, and initiatives to promote sustainable development can achieve progress against narcotics trafficking and related crime. The USG will increase its support for HNP counternarcotics efforts to permit the expansion of law enforcement operations throughout the country, and looks forward to continuing to work with the HNP and MINUSTAH to address these serious issues. -The United States is encouraged by the constructive political developments that have taken place in Haiti since 2006, and we are particularly pleased that opposition leaders are free to express their views. The April 19 senate elections are one more step in Haiti's democratic development. We reiterate the need for these elections to be free and fair. We thank MINUSTAH for its continued support of the electoral process, and urge the government of Haiti to continue and intensify efforts to promote an all-inclusive political dialogue and participation. -As the Secretary-General has underlined, Haiti stands at a cross-roads. While there are real opportunities, there are also real risks. Continued and determined engagement by Haitian authorities, together with enhanced support from the international community, is critical to help Haiti move down toward self-sustaining security, and political and economic stability. End points. CLINTON