NO DECISION ON POLISH PEACEKEEPERS IN HAITI

C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 000100 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/CE (GLANTZ) E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/16/2020 TAGS: PREL MCAP MARR EFIN EAID HA PL SUBJECT: NO DECISION ON POLISH PEACEKEEPERS IN HAITI REF: A. STATE 12558 ¶B. WARSAW 49 Classified By: Political Counselor F. Daniel Sainz for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Poland has not yet decided to deploy peacekeeping or law enforcement personnel to Haiti. A GOP decision will probably not occur earlier than next week and will likely be made within the broader context of EU initiatives related to Haiti assistance efforts. Iwona Krzeszewska and Katarzyna Czarniecka of the MFA's Development Assistance Department said senior GOP levels were actively engaged in the issue, but a decision on troop deployments or engagement by law enforcement personnel would not be made prior to the February 22-23 meeting of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council during which Haiti will be discussed. ¶2. (C) Krzeszewska emphasized that Warsaw had dispatched a 40-person rescue and recovery unit to Haiti and that Poles had contributed a total of 3-4 million euros in bilateral assistance to Haiti in the aftermath of last month's earthquake. Most aid had been channeled through the World Food Program, International Red Cross, or Polish NGOs involved in the crisis. In addition, she said Poland would likely contribute several civilian experts to a longer-term program of reconstruction and development in response to an EU appeal for volunteers. She said the GOP would welcome a more fulsome explanation of UN, regional, and US reconstruction plans. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: The Poles are eager to assist in the reconstruction effort but are uncertain how to proceed, mainly because of the absence of a Polish mission in Port-au-Prince. As an EU member, Poland will no doubt channel much of its aid through Brussels, but would also welcome detailed thinking on a US strategy for sustainable development in Haiti. In particular, Poles are eager to hear our views about the most effective organizations to ensure that their assistance meets the needs of ordinary Haitians. Marek Ziolkowski, Director of the Ministry's Development Assistance Department, will visit Washington next week for talks with OECD and US officials on the crisis. END COMMENT. FEINSTEIN