TFHA01: EMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE EARTHQUAKE SITREP as of 1800,

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 000110 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AEMR ASEC CASC KFLO MARR PREL PINR AMGT HA PGOV AID EAID SUBJECT: TFHA01: EMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE EARTHQUAKE SITREP as of 1800, February 1, 2010 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Criticisms of President Preval continue, including from within the government, and various rumors of a pro-US rally are yet to materialize. Meanwhile, some parliamentarians are asking for an extension of their mandate by two years. Their request is unconstitutional and unlikely to gain traction unless a broader political consensus emerges for long-term political stability. On a positive note, private port owners are cooperating with the Port-au-Prince port authority to maximize offloading capacity. End Summary. INCREASING CRITICISMS ¶2. (SBU) Several political figures, including the current Minister of Interior, Paul Antoine Bien-Aime, called for the resignation of President Preval's government on a local radio show, amidst increasing criticism of the government's unresponsiveness following the January 12 earthquake. Myrlande Manigat, Charles Baker (both leaders of opposition political parties),Deputy Stephen Benoit (formerly close the President Preval's political party),Daniel Supplice (a well-know sociologist),and Paul Bien-Aime (Minister of Interior) were interviewed on a panel, deploring the Government's inability to meet the basic needs of the population post-disaster. All also spoke of the risk of mass protests, should the perceived void in leadership continue. ¶3. (SBU) Meanwhile, rumors of a major pro-US rally abound, picked up US military personnel on the ground. However, there has not been any large pro-US or anti-Preval demonstration yet. The Embassy is not aware of any planned protests backed by political players at this time. PARLIAMENTARIANS' DREAMS ¶4. (SBU) Some parliamentarians are proposing to ask President Preval to postpone upcoming elections and extend the parliament's term by two years. The initiative has yet to be considered by the legislative body, and would be unconstitutional. Key parliamentarians, including Deputy Stephen Benoit, are opposed to it. Parliament's mandate ends in May 2010 (already a contested extension from its January mandate according to the 1987 Constitution),and any continuation in its activities would need to be part of a broad political consensus aimed at political stability and perhaps the re-writing of a new Constitution. PORT UPDATE ¶5. (SBU) The Port-au-Prince Port Authority (APN) and owners of private piers are cooperating (with USG involvement) to maximize port loading and cargo distribution opportunities by sharing out pier space for relief cargo. This would allow for increased efficiency until the government port infrastructure is reconstituted, a requirement for sustaining the current volume of operations. Several ships are in the three available ports unloading. As three ships (Mexican naval vessel, Colombian naval vessel and a Puerto Rican barge) brought in break-bulk cargo that is being unloaded by hand, movement of ships in those piers has been blocked as the vessels spend days in port. This underlines the importance of bringing in containerized cargo. The AMERICAN TRADER is scheduled to arrive 2/1; this will be the first commercial traffic since reopening of South pier at APN. She will offload 366 containers and load 500 empties. The military logistics personnel intend to surge to around the clock operations until the offload is complete. THE GOLD RUSH IS ON! ¶6. (SBU) As Haiti digs out from the earthquake, different companies are moving in to sell their concepts, products and services. President Preval met with Gen Wesley Clark Saturday and received a sales presentation on a hurricane/earthquake resistant foam core house designed for low income residents. AshBritt has been talking to various institutions about a national plan for rebuilding all government buildings. Other companies are proposing their housing solutions or their land use planning ideas, or other construction concepts. Each is vying for the ear of President in a veritable free-for-all. Presidential advisor Leslie Voltaire and Minister of Tourism Patrick Delatour, working with the NGO and the UN shelter "cluster" have a systematic approach, but the attention of the President is on impressive new (expensive) designs. MERTEN