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PP RUEHQU
DE RUEHPU #1789/01 2641314
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211314Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4125
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 1231
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 1073
RUEHQU/AMCONSUL QUEBEC PRIORITY 0585
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0996
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 001789 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR 
S/CRS 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR 
WHA/EX PLEASE PASS TO USOAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR HA
SUBJECT: THE ROLE OF THE MINISTER OF PARLIAMENTARY RELATIONS 
 
 
PORT AU PR 00001789  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. Sensitive but unclassified - please protect accordingly. 
 
¶2. Summary: (SBU) Joseph Jasmin, a member of President 
Preval's Lespwa party and former deputy, serves as minister 
of parliamentary relations.  The Preval administration 
created the position in hopes of improving the tumultuous 
relations with parliament that marked Preval's previous 
presidency.  Jasmin served primarily as a sounding board for 
parliamentary criticism of the executive during the first 
legislative session that ended on September 30, and has yet 
to produce any coordinated legislation.  Jasmin believes, 
however, that parliament is ready to "find its own path" 
after considering the proposals the executive recently 
submitted along with the budget.  He recognizes that many 
parliamentarians lack experience and resources and advocates 
on their behalf for both material and technical assistance 
with the executive.  Jasmin's work demonstrates a commitment 
on the part of Preval and Prime Minister Alexis to bolster 
the parliament and promote cooperation.  His position is 
extra extra-constitutional, however, and the GoH has not 
appointed the committee on parliamentary-executive relations 
called for by the constitution.  End Summary. 
 
¶3. (U) Jasmin is the minister responsible for the relations 
between the executive and the legislative branches. 
President Preval and Prime Minister Alexis announced their 
intention to create this new cabinet position prior to taking 
office, as part of their efforts to decentralize power and 
promote the constitutional role of the legislature.  Deep 
divisions and resentment prevailed between the parliament and 
the executive during the first Preval administration 
(1996-2001), parliament never formally approved Alexis, 
first nomination as prime minister in March, 1999, and the 
latter served out his tenure by executive decree.  Alexis 
placed particular emphasis on improving his reputation with 
the legislature prior to parliamentary approval of his most 
recent nomination as prime minister.  Jasmin keeps his office 
down the hall from Alexis, at the PM,s office complex (the 
Primature), and Alexis stated publicly that Jasmin,s 
position is integral to his government and that his 
appointment demonstrates the executive's commitment to the 
parliament. 
 
¶4. (U) Minister Jasmin told Poloff on September 13 that his 
goal is "to harmonize the relationship between the two powers 
of the nation for the benefit of the population," but 
underscored that the legislature is an independent and 
autonomous body.  He is additionally interested in educating 
the public on the role of parliament and stimulating debate 
among civil society on proposed legislation.  To accomplish 
this goal, Minister Jasmin often discusses issues raised in 
parliament on radio programs and in his meetings with civil 
society. 
 
¶5. (U) Minister Jasmin attends parliamentary sessions when a 
minister appears before either chamber or when he needs to 
transmit information to the legislators from the executive. 
If a minister is called before either chamber, Jasmin often 
goes to parliament before the minister's appearance to work 
on the more difficult issues so that the parliamentarians and 
the convoked minister can focus on more substantive issues, 
as opposed to details.  He does not have a regular meeting 
schedule but meets "often" with the presidents of each 
chamber.  He hopes to set up regular meetings between the 
president, the prime minister and the parliamentarians.  To 
date, they only meet on urgent matters.  Regular meetings, in 
his view, are integral to an effective dialogue between the 
branches to avoid "unnecessary conflict." 
 
¶6. (U) Jasmin explained that the parliament should work with 
the executive to create a legislative agenda.  The executive 
will consider the parliamentarians, legislative goals but 
give priority to executive initiatives.  The resulting agenda 
should still represent a compromise.  The legislators can 
also propose their own laws, which Jasmin coins their 
"legislative function" differing from their "programming 
function," in tandem with the executive.  Jasmin said that 
while parliament proposed no laws during parliament's first 
session, some were "in the works."  The parliament's current 
 
PORT AU PR 00001789  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
priorities are pushing the president to curb the insecurity, 
improving the country's fiscal health, and decentralization. 
He believes that both chambers are doing a commendable job. 
The parliamentarians are "in the process of finding their own 
path and organizing their work."  They should soon move 
toward a weekly calendar or regular legislative debate. 
(Note: The executive's legislative proposals were presented 
simultaneously with the budget to parliament on September 13. 
 End Note.) 
 
¶7. (U) Jasmin stressed that the parliament lacks resources, 
both human and material.  He aims to hire specialists to 
train parliamentarians how to analyze and draft legislation. 
Additionally, he arranged the turnover of two government 
buildings near the legislative palace for use as additional 
parliamentary office space and is working with the 
legislators to have them refurbished and outfitted. 
 
Biographical Information: 
---------- 
 
¶8. (U) Jasmin was a former deputy (1995-1999) for the Eskanp 
party, which was aligned with Famni Lavalas.  Eskanp is one 
of the parties that merged to form the Lespwa party in early 
2005 to support Preval's candidacy.  As a deputy, Jasmin was 
a part of parliament's "anti-neoliberal block" and was quite 
vocal about his disdain for the privatization of Haiti's 
public enterprises.  The anti-neoliberals also harshly 
criticized Preval,s attempts to implement an IMF adjustment 
package.  As Preval,s chief implementer, Alexis took much of 
that criticism.  Jasmin is a lawyer and founding member of 
Groupe d,Assistance Juridique, a legal aid group in Cap 
Haitien.  Jasmin is married and has three daughters and one 
son.  Jasmin is not an English speaker. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Comment:  Jasmin,s position is 
extra-constitutional.  The constitution does address 
parliamentary-executive relations, calling for a five-member 
committee to intervene in the event of irresolvable 
differences between the two branches.  Jasmin claims the GoH 
cannot appoint the committee because the president of the 
CEP, one of the statutory members, is currently provisional. 
As a member of the cabinet, Jasmin could not, presumably, 
carry out the mediation that the constitution envisioned for 
the standing independent committee.  For the moment, as 
parliament continues to function in a subservient manner to 
the presidency, the parliament will have to make do with a 
member of the executive serving as its principal advocate. 
End Comment. 
SANDERSON