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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 PORT AU PRINCE 000130 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR 
DRL 
S/CRS 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR 
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) 
TREASURY FOR MAUREEN WAFER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL UNSC HA
SUBJECT: VISIT OF SENATOR BILL NELSON TO HAITI, JANUARY 
12-13 
 
REF: A. BEIJING 410 
     ¶B. BEIJING 371 
     ¶C. 06 PAP 1393 
 
¶1. This message is sensitive but unclassified -- protect 
accordingly. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Summary.  Senator Bill Nelson (D-Florida) on 
January 12-13 led a congressional delegation to 
Port-au-Prince that included the Deputy Commander of the U.S. 
Southern Command, Major General Glenn Spears.  CODEL Nelson, 
accompanied by the Ambassador and Emboffs, held meetings with 
Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) Mulet, 
Prime Minister Alexis, President Preval, and Haitian National 
Police (HNP) chief Andresol, and visited USAID-funded 
projects providing vocational education to school drop-outs 
and promoting community stability in poor neighborhoods. 
Sen. Nelson raised the issues of security, narcotics 
trafficking, and the MINUSTAH mandate renewal, warning that 
the GoH dispute with China should not endanger Security 
Council renewal of MINUSTAH's mandate.  Sen. Nelson's 
interlocutors agreed that the security situation was the most 
pressing problem confronting Haiti, but expressed confidence 
that ongoing MINUSTAH and HNP operations against criminal 
gangs would lead to improved security.  President Preval 
stressed that the U.S. needed to do more to interdict drugs 
transiting Haiti on their way to the U.S.  Sen. Nelson noted 
that trafficking patterns had changed, with more drug 
shipments originating in Venezuela, and that the U.S. was 
committed to strengthening cooperation with Haiti to combat 
new patterns in trafficking.  On China, President Preval 
expressed frustration with the Chinese position, maintaining 
the GoH had done nothing to warrant their displeasure, but 
recognized the importance preventing a Chinese veto of the 
MINUSTAH mandate.  He indicated he would dispatch his Foreign 
Minister to consult with Chinese officials to resolve the 
dispute. (Note:  He has since indicated that he may send 
another senior advisor instead.  End Note.)  Haitian 
officials thanked the Senator for his support of the HOPE 
legislation, and asked for continued assistance in 
implementation to allow Haiti to enjoy maximum benefits of 
the new trade benefits.  End Summary. 
 
SRSG Mulet 
---------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) SRSG Edmond Mulet (Guatemala), accompanied by his 
deputy, Luiz Carlos da Costa (Brazil), newly-arrived force 
commander General Carlos Albert Dos Santos Cruz (Brazil), and 
acting UN Police (UNPol) Commissioner Richard Warren 
(Australia) called at the Ambassador's residence on the 
evening of January 12 to meet Senator Nelson.  The Senator 
thanked the MINUSTAH officials for their service to Haiti 
and, stressing the paramount importance of establishing 
security, asked for an update of MINUSTAH actions.  SRSG 
Mulet responded that the MINUSTAH initiative launched on 
December 22 to target the most dangerous gang leaders was 
ongoing.  Though MINUSTAH had not been able to capture 
gang-leader Beloney in their initial operation, they had 
destroyed and effectively quarantined his compound.  MINUSTAH 
was planning operations against other gang leaders in Cite 
Soleil and continuing to support the Haitian National Police 
(HNP) in combating crime throughout Port-au-Prince.  In 
response to Senator Nelson's query, General Dos Santos Cruz 
affirmed that his troops had the necessary support from UN 
headquarters to take action against criminals.  SRSG Mulet 
explained that the commitments from the troop contributing 
countries were firm, but that maintaining the authorized 
number of UNPol officers in the mission had been more 
difficult.  UNPol remained roughly 200 officers below its 
authorized level of 1,692. 
 
¶4. (SBU)   SRSG Mulet noted that with Security Council 
discussions regarding the renewal of the MINUSTAH mandate set 
to begin on January 29, time was running out for the GoH to 
satisfy Chinese concerns regarding the GoH's actions 
regarding the one China policy and head off a Chinese veto of 
the mandate renewal.  Mulet understood that Beijing had 
 
PORT AU PR 00000130  002 OF 004 
 
 
instructed its UN Permrep to veto the renewal, thus signaling 
that the GoH would have to meet the Chinese  demand for 
formal written apology.  (Note: Subsequent reporting from 
Embassy Beijing (refs A and B) somewhat contradicts Mulet's 
account of the Chinese position.  End Note.)  Mulet heartily 
approved of Senator Nelson's suggestion that he press the 
need to resolve the GoH's dispute with China in his meetings 
with President Preval and Prime Minister Alexis. 
 
Prime Minister Alexis 
---------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Senator Nelson met Prime Minister Jacques Edouard 
Alexis at his office on the morning of January 13.  The PM 
began by noting that GOH priorities are establishing security 
and putting the country &on track8 for socio-economic 
development.  The PM thanked the USG for the passage of the 
HOPE Act (allowing for increased export of garments from 
Haiti to the U.S.) and stated that the U.S. was Haiti's most 
important bilateral partner.  The USG should continue to 
support the strengthening of Haiti,s institutions, 
particularly the HNP, and continue its programs for health 
care, potable water, education, infrastructure, 
reforestation, and the control of drug trafficking; and help 
Haiti deal with criminal deportees.  Regarding security, 
MINUSTAH and the HNP were making progress, but that the HNP 
should take more responsibility, as they were better suited 
to deal with the gangs and is less likely to inflict 
collateral damage. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Noting that he would be speaking to 
Haitian-Americans in Florida on a conference call at the end 
of the day, Senator Nelson asked what assistance he should 
ask for Haiti.  The PM stressed education, citing the need to 
build and equip schools, and to train teachers.  Regarding 
China, the PM stated that President Preval was responsible 
for GoH policy.  The GoH would not, in any case, send a 
letter of apology to the PRC. 
 
President Preval 
---------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Senator Nelson met President Preval at the national 
palace, immediately following his meeting with the Prime 
Minister.  Prime Minister Alexis, Justice Minister Rene 
Magloire, Finance Minister Daniel Dorsainvil and presidential 
economic counselors Elizabeth Delatour and Gabriel Verret 
joined President Preval for the meeting.   President Preval 
thanked Senator Nelson for his support for Haiti and for the 
passage of HOPE, and asked for the U.S. Congress' assistance 
in  helping the GoH and the private sector meet the 
requirements of HOPE legislation and increase exports. 
Senator Nelson deferred to the Ambassador, who pointed out 
that it was now up to the executive branch within the USG to 
lead implementation, and that the Embassy had already 
established consultations with the GoH and the private 
sector.   She urged President Preval to communicate to 
working level GoH officials the importance that he attached 
to HOPE implementation. 
 
¶9. (SBU) President Preval also asked for assistance in 
obtaining bills of lading in advance for ships embarking from 
Florida to Haiti in order to facilitate collection of customs 
duties.  Haiti was losing hundreds of millions of dollars in 
customs revenue, and the GoH had found a partner in the U.S. 
to collect duties on goods prior to their arrival in Haiti. 
The GoH's partner had informed him, however, that the U.S. 
federal authorities must authorize the advance provision of 
bills of lading. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) President Preval stressed the role that drugs play 
in the country's insecurity.  Drug trafficking led to 
corruption in the police force as well as the justice system, 
which created an insecure environment despite the presence of 
MINUSTAH.  His statement at the parliament (blaming the U.S. 
for Haiti's drug problem due to its role as a consumer 
country) was not meant to offend anyone but to draw attention 
to facts.  The idea for a drug summit between Haiti, 
 
PORT AU PR 00000130  003 OF 004 
 
 
Colombia, and the Dominican Republic had come to him during 
his visit to Nicaragua for President Ortega's inauguration, 
and those presidents had agreed.  They subsequently thought 
to include Jamaica and the Bahamas, and Preval hoped that 
"consumer countries" would also attend.  Senator Nelson 
responded that the U.S. needed to address the demand side of 
the drug problem.  He added that most of the drugs entering 
Haiti came from Venezuela, posing a new challenge in 
combatting transshipment through Haiti.   General Spears 
briefly described the efforts of SOUTHCOM to minimize drug 
flow in the region and said that SOUTHCOM will share 
intelligence with countries to assist with arrest and 
prosecution. 
 
Preval on China 
---------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Senator Nelson raised the GoH dispute with China, 
noting the importance of ensuring that China does not veto 
MINUSTAH's mandate renewal.  President Preval agreed that 
MINUSTAH,s presence was critical, but complained that China 
had tried to continually increase its demands on Haiti for 
approval of UN mandates going back to the missions of the 
1990s.  President Preval said that China was mistaken in 
believing that Haiti sought UN recognition for Taiwan:  the 
GoH supported the "one China" policy.  The problem originated 
with his meeting with the Chinese Permrep to the UN in New 
York last spring, and he suspected that his statements were 
not translated properly.  President Preval intended to send 
the Minister of Foreign Affairs to New York to discuss the 
issue and assured Senator Nelson that the GoH is not 
launching an international crisis.  (Note:  President Preval 
has since indicated that he will also dispatch presidential 
Secretary General Fritz Longchamps, a former foreign minister 
 
SIPDIS 
and closer advisor than the foreign minister, to Beijing. 
End Note.) 
 
HNP DG Andresol 
---------- 
 
¶12.  (SBU) The Senator met with HNP Director General Mario 
Andresol at HNP headquarters on the afternoon of January 13. 
He thanked DG Andresol for his commitment and asked for his 
views on the drug problem.  Andresol explained that drug 
shipments arrived by air throughout Haiti and that he needed 
to better disburse his counter-drug resources.  At present, 
he had to dispatch his officers from Port-au-Prince, making 
it nearly impossible to interdict drugs in the field.  To 
compensate, he established checkpoints on the main routes 
into and out of Port-au-Prince to intercept drugs transited 
over land, but he lacked sufficient personnel to undertake a 
comprehensive effort.  Even if he were better able to do his 
job, Haiti's justice system remained weak and impunity was an 
enormous problem.  Haiti should accept help in transferring 
criminals outside of Haiti if other countries could prosecute 
them.  This was a political issue, Andresol lamented, and 
nationalism often overrode other interests. 
 
¶13.  (SBU) Andresol echoed comments made by MINUSTAH 
officials regarding operations in Cite Soleil.  Even though 
MINUSTAH and the HNP had not captured Beloney they had 
destroyed his organization.  MINUSTAH and the HNP would move 
against gang leader Evans Jeune before Carnival.  There had 
been a lack of coordination and shared vision between 
MINUSTAH and the HNP in the past, but cooperation had 
improved greatly, particularly between the HNP and UNPol. 
Senator Nelson raised the possibility of more U.S. police 
officers coming to MINUSTAH to assist the HNP, which Andresol 
enthusiastically welcomed, adding that he needed more 
assistance from the U.S. for the special HNP units such as 
the SWAT team. 
 
¶14.  (SBU)  Senator Nelson inquired about vetting, and DG 
Andresol replied that vetting had just begun with himself and 
ten senior officials.  The PM had asked him to conclude the 
vetting process quickly, and he expected to dismiss between 
500 and 1,000 HNP officers as a result.  He had already fired 
535 officers, and there were others whom he could not fire 
 
PORT AU PR 00000130  004 OF 004 
 
 
but whom he did not trust.  Vetting was a potential morale 
problem, and he needed to make clear that he would fairly 
implement the process for the good of the HNP and that it was 
not a process directed at certain individuals.  He also 
needed to proceed in a phased manner so he did not disrupt 
HNP operations.  The HNP force currently stood at roughly 
7,000, and a new class of over 600 officers would begin 
training in February. 
 
Visits to USAID projects 
---------- 
 
¶15.  (U) Senator Nelson visited  a USAID-funded youth 
training center located in Carrefour-Feuilles, a densely 
populated and often violent slum area. The visit took place 
in a community-based organization that is implementing the 
Haiti Out-of-School Youth Livelihood Initiative (IDEJEN), a 
project that targets unschooled youth and primary school 
dropouts ages 15 to 24 and provides them with a package of 
education, workforce and health services.  IDEJEN workers 
briefed Senator on the project's aims as well as on the 
weaknesses in Haiti's education system which produces a high 
number of dropouts.  He toured the center and observed youth 
in sewing and plumbing classes and spoke to them about their 
life circumstances and the positive impact the project is 
having on them. He was encouraged to learn that the youth in 
the sewing classes would receive a credential from the 
Ministry of Education and that, in the implementation of the 
HOPE Act legislation, the young women would be highly 
competitive for jobs in the textile sector. 
 
¶16. (U)  The Senator followed with a visit to a multi-purpose 
playground in the Macira community of Delmas. He was greeted 
by leaders of the association that developed and submitted 
the project idea to USAID's implementing partner, the 
International Organization for Migration (IOM). After a tour 
of the constructed facilities, the Senator, and party, had a 
conversation with community leaders. The spokesperson thanked 
the USG for its support, spoke of the importance of a safe 
place for young people to gather and play sports, and of the 
fact that the playground was used for weddings, receptions 
and civic events. The spokesperson stated that the 
USAID-funded activities had restored confidence and hope, and 
reduced crime. As a result, people have returned to live in 
Macira. The Senator toured an area adjacent to the community 
playground to see the condition of the streets before the 
street paving project. 
 
¶17. (U) Senator Nelson's office cleared this message. 
 
¶18.  (SBU) Comment.  Senator Nelson took the opportunity of 
his press conference just prior to his departure to clarify 
the nature of the drug transshipment problem confronting 
Haiti and the U.S., pointing out that traffickers transship 
drugs through Haiti primarily by air, thus posing a different 
challenge than that addressed by our joint 1998 maritime 
agreement that President Preval cites in demanding more 
action by the U.S.  The Ambassador, Emboffs, and General 
Spears had opportunities to clarify this point with other 
senior GoH officials on the margins of Senator Nelson's 
meetings, and they have asked for further  briefings.  With 
the Drug Enforcement Administrator planning to visit Haiti 
shortly, we have an excellent opportunity to move beyond 
current misunderstandings on GoH side and cement a basis for 
more productive cooperation. 
SANDERSON