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PP RUEHQU
DE RUEHPU #0246/01 0361910
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051910Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5267
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 1402
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 1225
RUEHQU/AMCONSUL QUEBEC PRIORITY 0706
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1119

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000246 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR 
S/CRS 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR 
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) 
WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM HA
SUBJECT: ALEXIS: WE WILL NOT SUCCUMB TO PARLIAMENTARIAN 
PRESSURE 
 
REF: A. 06 PAP 2187 
     ¶B. PAP 89 
 
PORT AU PR 00000246  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: The Superior Council of the National Police 
(CSPN), headed by Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis, 
appeared before the chamber of deputies on January 30 to 
discuss the dispute between the deputies and Jean 
Saint-Fleur, the administrative director of the Haitian 
National Police (HNP).  Michelet Casimir (OPL ) Baraderes) 
accused St. Fleur of beating him after a traffic stop on 
January 12.  Following the incident, the lower house of 
parliament pressured the Minister of Justice Rene Magloire to 
dismiss St. Fleur, a request which Magloire refused.  The 
Prime Minister backed Magloire's decision, stating that the 
executive will not take punitive action until the 
administrative and judicial proceedings against St. Fleur 
have been completed.  The Prime Minister's firm resistance to 
parliamentary pressure is a welcome sign that the executive 
will demand responsible behavior from parliamentarians and 
resist abuse of parliamentary immunity.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) On January 12, Deputy Casimir was a passenger in a 
private vehicle traveling along a one-way street in the wrong 
direction.  Traffic police stopped the vehicle, and upon 
discovering illegal weapons, called St. Fleur to the scene. 
Casimir claims that St. Fleur then beat him and his 
companions.  St. Fleur denies these allegations and the case 
is now under internal investigation as well as in the 
preliminary hearing stage at the Port-au-Prince public 
prosecutor's office. 
 
¶3. (U) The chamber of deputies adopted a resolution on 
January 18 calling for the dismissal of St. Fleur within 24 
hours.  The Prime Minister not only refused to act on the 
resolution, but sharply criticized the chamber in his 
testimony.  During the hearing, Alexis explained that the 
HNP's inspector general of the national police is conducting 
an internal investigation of the police brutality 
accusations, independent of the judicial proceedings.  After 
the investigation is complete, the Minister of Justice will 
take appropriate action.  Alexis took the opportunity to 
publicly reprimand deputy Casimir, who had not yet appeared 
before the investigators to answer questions.  The Prime 
Minister was clear that no punitive measure would be taken 
against an officer without a full investigation, but reported 
that St. Fleur had been limited to office tasks until the 
completion of the internal investigation. 
 
¶4. (U) Alexis noted that at the time of the incident the 
deputy was not driving his vehicle with official plates and 
that there were several illegal weapons inside the vehicle. 
He criticized the inconsistent behavior of the deputies. 
First, the legislators created a law banning unregistered 
weapons.  Now, the deputies were admonishing the police, 
responsible for enforcing the law, for doing their job. 
Alexis stressed that a deputy violated a traffic law close to 
the heavily-monitored presidential palace.  In his view, this 
action in itself is cause for suspicion.  Casimir's behavior 
is no more acceptable than the alleged behavior of St. Fleur. 
 Alexis told the parliamentarians that the justice system was 
a third and distinct power and the parliamentarians would not 
be allowed to interfere or pressure this branch, nor the 
executive. 
 
¶5. (U) Delivering another pointed rebuke to the chamber, the 
GoH reran in the press for several days this week a full-page 
missive signed by Secretary General of the Presidency Fritz 
Longchamps calling on public officials to obey traffic laws, 
including respecting one-way streets.  Obliging all elected 
officials to be model citizens, the public announcement also 
reminds parliamentarians that they can not carry unregistered 
weapons or disregard any law.  The GoH first published the 
notice on September 18 as one of Longchamps first official 
acts at Preval's behest. 
 
¶6. (U) Comment: Alexis showed admirable fortitude in facing 
down what appears to be an unjustifiable defense by the 
deputies of blanket parliamentary immunity.  The executive 
has until now tread warily around parliamentary disputes with 
 
PORT AU PR 00000246  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
other government entities.  Most notably, the executive 
failed to intervene on either side.  Last year, 
parliamentarians sought the dismissal of Michael Lucius as 
well as Claudy Gassant.  Lucius, former judicial director of 
the police (DCPJ), was laterally moved in the HNP (ref A). 
Gassant remains the chief public prosecutor for 
Port-au-Prince (ref B).  Alexis' no nonsense stance should 
serve as a welcome reminder to the deputies that they too 
must obey the law.  End Comment. 
SANDERSON