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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0349/01 0551949
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 241949Z FEB 06
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8066
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI IMMEDIATE 0033

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000349 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO UNSC HA
SUBJECT: HAITI: UNSC AND CORE GROUP COMMEND LATORTUE ON 
ELECTIONS AND PRESS FOR INCLUSIVE GOVERNMENT 
 
REF: A. PORT AU PRINCE 355 
 
     ¶B. SECSTATE 26031 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  During an open briefing to the UN Security 
Council and a subsequent meeting of the Haiti Core Group on 
February 22, Interim Government of Haiti (IGOH) Prime 
Minister Gerard Latortue commended his government and the 
Haitian people on the conduct of first-round elections on 7 
February 2006 and defended the decision by the Provisional 
Electoral Council (CEP) to declare Rene Preval the winner of 
the presidential race.  Latortue appealed to the 
international community not to abandon Haiti in the wake of 
its elections.  In closed UNSC consultations preceding 
Latortue's address, Special Representative of the 
Secretary-General (SRSG) Juan Gabriel Valdes warned that 
 
SIPDIS 
Haiti still faced significant challenges in its electoral 
process and beyond.  He reported that President-elect Preval 
would likely accept a short postponement of his inauguration 
to accommodate a brief delay in the second round of 
parliamentary elections.  The SRSG said he had strongly urged 
Preval to take an inclusive approach to governance, and that 
Preval had in turn agreed to offer the speakerships of both 
houses of parliament to the opposition. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary cont'd.  Longer-term, Valdes argued that 
Haiti's stability required a concerted effort by donors to 
address the country's extreme poverty.  Valdes and Latortue 
agreed that the highest priorities facing the next government 
would be police and justice sector reform.  Member states 
generally welcomed the first-round elections and Preval's 
victory, and called on Haitians to redouble their commitment 
to inclusiveness.  Latin American delegations stressed the 
need for increased donor efforts, and China warned that it 
would not be able to continue its support for the UN 
Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) if Preval visited 
Taiwan.  France, Canada, and the Organization of American 
States (OAS) joined the U.S. in emphasizing the importance of 
timely municipal and local elections.  An official from the 
UN's Electoral Assistance Division (EAD) later confirmed that 
MINUSTAH would support early municipal and local balloting 
once certain logistical and funding issues are resolved.  End 
Summary. 
 
Latortue: So Long, and Thanks 
for all the Electoral Support 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) During his briefing to an open meeting of the UNSC, PM 
Latortue spoke extensively about how Haiti's elections on 7 
February 2006 had met high standards of fairness and 
transparency.  He praised MINUSTAH and Haitian National 
Police (HNP) efforts to ensure security, and emphasized that 
the IGOH had not tried to manipulate the election result. 
Latortue commended Haitians for their patience in waiting 
several hours to vote, but argued that these voters would not 
have remained in line for so long just to cast blank ballots. 
 He explained the CEP's decision to declare Preval the winner 
on the grounds that Haitian law demands that blank ballots be 
counted, but does not specify how they should be apportioned. 
 Latortue expressed hope that the current timetable for 
elections -- a second round on 19 March and the presidential 
inauguration on 29 March -- could be maintained.  The Prime 
Minister concluded that despite the predictions of the 
international press, which he charged had consistently 
misreported events in Haiti, the elections on 7 February had 
been a clear triumph for his government and for the Haitian 
people. 
 
¶4. (U) Turning to the post-electoral period, Latortue 
underscored that Haiti's nascent democracy would need the 
support of the international community for "some time" to 
come -- which he later clarified would be at least the next 
two years.  He warned the Council not to repeat the mistake 
it made ten years ago when it prematurely withdrew from 
Haiti.  Latortue said he had created a commission to prepare 
for the transition to the new government, and noted that 
Haiti would need assistance to train members of its 
parliament, municipal and local officials, and civil society. 
 But he ascribed the highest priority to police and justice 
sector reform.  He also argued that aid efforts would not be 
successful unless they addressed Haiti's extreme poverty and 
social inequality.  In this next phase of Haiti's 
development, Latortue said his country would need fewer 
soldiers and more engineers.  The PM commended Latin American 
states for demonstrating solidarity with Haiti, and he urged 
Spain and Morocco to reconsider their decision to withdraw 
from MINUSTAH at the end of March 2006.  He expressed 
satisfaction that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) had 
normalized its relations with Haiti after a short 
estrangement. 
 
 
 
Valdes: Not Out of the Woods Yet 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) During closed UNSC consultations, SRSG Valdes 
emphasized that significant challenges remain before Haiti 
can complete its electoral process.  He called on the CEP to 
finish tabulating first-round results immediately, but argued 
that due to the delay in counting, the remaining electoral 
calendar would have to be "revised" (ref A).  Valdes opined 
that CEP Director-General Jacques Bernard's presence in Haiti 
would be "essential" for the conduct of the second round, and 
he accused members of the CEP of launching unjustified 
attacks against the DG.  Since the Haitian constitution calls 
for the president to be inaugurated along with the new 
parliament, Valdes said the postponement of second round 
voting would cause a slight delay in Preval's planned 29 
March 2006 inauguration.  He reported that Preval had 
promised, both privately and publicly, that he would adhere 
to constitutional requirements regarding the timing of his 
inauguration, but that the President-elect had emphasized 
that any delay should be brief. 
 
Inclusiveness is the Key 
------------------------ 
 
¶6. (SBU) Valdes predicted that neither Preval's party nor the 
opposition would command a majority in the parliament, which 
would make an inclusive approach to governance doubly 
important.  He told the Council that he had advised Preval to 
make an "enormous effort" to include the opposition in his 
government as well as to commit in his first public speech to 
political reconciliation and a "government of unity."  While 
seeming to reserve judgement on the degree to which Preval 
will promote inclusiveness, Valdes reported that Preval is 
prepared to offer opposition politicians the speakerships of 
both houses of parliament.  Asked to assess the likelihood of 
Aristide's return to Haiti, Valdes observed in the closed 
session that the former president is a "man of the past." 
The SRSG pointed to public opinion polls rating Aristide the 
worst Haitian president ever as proof that ordinary Haitians 
do not want him back.  Noting the hostility between the 
Preval and Aristide camps (he recalled that Preval campaign 
manager Bob Manuel was forced to flee Haiti under Aristide), 
Valdes argued that Preval was also opposed to his former 
mentor's return. 
 
Long-Term Stability Requires Fight Against Poverty 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶7. (U) Valdes argued that long-term stability and democracy 
in Haiti would not be possible without a serious 
international campaign to combat the country's extreme 
poverty.  He touted a program underway in the Bel-Air 
neighborhood of Port-au-Prince as a model of civil-military 
cooperation, in which Brazilian troops secured the area and 
international aid agencies used quick-impact projects to 
improve living standards and create jobs.  The same effort 
would have to be made soon in Cite Soleil.  But he added that 
gang members expelled from Bel-Air had recently started 
returning to the area, with the message that while the 
Brazilian troops could give residents short-term relief, they 
could offer no long-term future.  Noting the discussion at 
the February 21 donors, conference on Haiti in Washington, 
he called on donors to increase their efforts to support the 
new government by accelerating disbursement of past pledges. 
Valdes supported the Peruvian delegate,s proposal that the 
international community consider a long-term "Compact for 
Haiti," similar to the "Compact for Afghanistan" recently 
endorsed in London. 
 
¶8. (U) In addition to the long-term fight against extreme 
poverty, Valdes argued that the new government's highest 
priorities should be reform of the police and the judiciary. 
He reported that PM Latortue signed the Memorandum of 
Understanding (MOU) between MINUSTAH and the IGOH on HNP 
reform on February 22, and that President-elect Preval had 
confirmed his intent to continue ongoing police reform 
efforts.  Valdes also said Preval planned to keep HNP DG 
Andresol on the job.  In terms of judiciary reform, Valdes 
said a UN assessment team was currently in Port-au-Prince to 
consider how MINUSTAH could better support efforts to reform 
Haiti's justice and corrections system.  He suggested that 
the assessment mission would also consider how the mix 
between police and military personnel assigned to MINUSTAH 
could be adjusted to best achieve the UN's mission in Haiti. 
 
Member States Stress Reconciliation 
----------------------------------- 
 
 
¶9. (SBU) In both the closed UNSC consultations and the Core 
Group session, most member states welcomed the holding of 
first-round elections and congratulated Preval on his 
victory.  They called on Haitians to intensify efforts 
towards national reconciliation and political dialogue in the 
coming months.  The European Union and CARICOM 
representatives noted that their observers had characterized 
the elections as substantially "free and fair."  Several 
delegations, including France, Canada, and the Organization 
of American States (OAS), joined the U.S. in underscoring the 
importance of timely municipal and local elections.  Latin 
American delegations, including Brazil, Argentina, and Peru, 
repeated their call for increased donor support for Haiti's 
reconstruction.  The Argentine PermRep argued the "time for 
words" for donor efforts in Haiti is over.  In his remarks to 
the Core Group, DAS Duddy defended international aid 
disbursements, noting that since July 2004 donors had 
disbursed approximately USD 780 million in Haiti.  DAS Duddy 
praised the Bel-Air model of stabilization and suggested that 
it could serve as a basis for future efforts in insecure 
areas such as Cite Soleil. 
 
Taiwan Still an Issue 
--------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) During the closed UNSC consultations, the Chinese 
PermRep noted that Preval had reportedly told Haitian media 
that he planned to make his first overseas trip to Taiwan. 
If this occurs, the Chinese delegate argued that the PRC 
would find it "very difficult" to continue to support 
MINUSTAH.  Valdes replied that he had not heard reports to 
this effect, and that Preval had told him that he planned to 
visit the Dominican Republic first, followed by the U.S., 
Brazil, and Chile.  Nevertheless, the SRSG undertook to 
convey China's concerns about a possible visit to Taiwan to 
the President-elect. 
 
UN Secretariat: Municipal and Local 
Elections Should be Held as Soon as Possible 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Following up on Core Group discussion of municipal 
and local elections and ref B demarche instructions, Poloff 
spoke with UN EAD Senior Political Officer Marco Carmignani 
on February 24 to gauge the Secretariat's views on when these 
elections could be held.  Noting that donors had mistaken 
MINUSTAH elections chief LeChevallier's cautiousness about 
the timing of these elections for an unwillingness to support 
them, Carmignani agreed that these ballots should be held as 
soon as possible.  He argued that municipal elections could 
be combined with second-round parliamentary elections, but 
noted that the CEP and MINUSTAH would need a few weeks to 
prepare for municipal balloting once challenges to 
first-round results have been resolved.  If the second round 
is postponed because of delays in counting first-round 
ballots -- thereby delaying the presidential inauguration -- 
Carmignani cautioned that Preval might not countenance 
additional delays for the sake of the municipal elections. 
He said both UNHQ and MINUSTAH agreed that local elections 
should take place as soon as possible after the inauguration, 
but noted that additional funds would be required (he 
estimated the current funding gap at USD 13 million) and that 
the CEP would have to draw new districts to account for 
changes to Haiti's population distribution since the last 
time the country held local elections.  Once these issues 
have been addressed, Carmignani averred, local elections 
should take place as soon as possible. 
BOLTON