VZCZCXRO7086
OO RUEHQU
DE RUEHPU #1620/01 2771852
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 041852Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6970
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 1655
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 1469
RUEHQU/AMCONSUL QUEBEC PRIORITY 0900
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1316
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT AU PRINCE 001620 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR 
S/CRS 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR 
INR/IAA 
WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON HA
SUBJECT: HAITI MONTHLY: SEPTEMBER, 2007 
 
REF: PORT AU PRINCE 1198 
 
PORT AU PR 00001620  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (U)  Summary: This is a monthly report on various topics 
of interest which do not merit a full reporting cable. End 
summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  LOVINSKY PIERRE-ANTOINE KIDNAPPING STILL A 
MYSTERY.  Frantz Thermilus, Director General for the Judicial 
Police (DCPJ) told Poloff at a reception September 20 that 
his ''professional opinion'' is that Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine, 
allegedly kidnapped on August 12, is likely deceased.  (Note: 
 Pierre-Antoine is a known Lavalas member and Aristide 
supporter.  He claimed to have the full support of 
ex-President Jean Bertrand Aristide to run under the Lavalas 
political party umbrella in the next senatorial elections. 
End note.)  Despite expressed interest from U.S.-based human 
rights group, his name has virtually disappeared from media 
headlines in Haiti and his own Lavalas party remains 
unusually silent.  Thermilus said he has no evidence that the 
alleged kidnapping was politically motivated, but believes 
the kidnappers may have known Pierre-Antoine personally and 
pursued their course of action to extort money.  (Note: 
Pierre-Antoine openly bragged about having received $200,000 
from Aristide to support his run for a senate seat, and that 
figure is reportedly the same amount as the ransom demanded 
immediately following the alleged kidnapping.  End note). 
Pierre Esperance of the National Network for the Defense of 
Human Rights, also present during the discussion, noted 
Lavalas' relative silence over the kidnapping, and that no 
elected Lavalas official has pursued the matter publicly. 
Haitian National Police are continuing with the investigation. 
 
¶3.  (U)  JUSTICE RETURNS TO CITE SOLEIL.  The Tribunal of 
Cite Soleil, following rehabilitation through the Haiti 
Stabilization Initiative (HSI), was operational even prior to 
the Ambassador's inauguration of the building on September 
¶10.  Jean-Philippe Laberge, MINUSTAH Civil Affairs' 
coordinator for red zones, reported to Poloff on September 7 
that citizens are reporting crimes daily to the HNP stationed 
at Strong Point 16 (SP16), also known as Marche Boulos. 
(Note:  For the last three weeks, the HNP has stationed two 
officers at SP16 24 hours a day.  End note.)  The HNP officer 
gives each claimant proper documentation of the report and 
sends him or her to the Tribunal a few blocks away on Route 
Nationale 1, where a justice of the peace hears the 
complaint.  HNP, UNPOL and a Chinese Formed Police Unit (FPU) 
are on the scene to pursue the suspect and deliver him or her 
to the tribunal, where justices of the peace immediately 
process the case.  Laberge said the number of complaints 
registered, mostly for theft and other petty crimes, 
increases daily.  (Comment:  The Cite Soleil Tribunal has not 
been operational for several years.  The almost immediate 
willingness of the citizens to make use of the justice system 
is a positive indicator in a neighborhood long considered 
''lawless.''  End comment.) 
 
¶4.  (U)  HIGH LEVEL FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL VISITS 
HAITI.  French Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and 
Human Rights Rami Yade visited Haiti September 14-15, meeting 
with the President and Prime Minister and visiting Cap 
Haitien.  The extensive coverage of this visit in the Haitian 
media was in no small part due to her Senegalese origin.  In 
her speech to Haitian officials and foreign diplomats 
attended by Poloff, she recalled France's oppressive 
historical role in Haiti and called for all to look to the 
future.  She evoked how African nations striving for 
independence had looked to Haiti for inspiration, even while 
she noted Haiti's long history of oppressive government and 
social misery.  Showing that she had done some history 
homework, Yade cited several Haitian writers who she claimed 
had inspired Senegalese leader Leopold Senghor.  Nearly all 
questions from Haitians in the audience inquired about how 
France could assist Haiti more effectively.  Just before 
departing, Yade said that President Preval had extended an 
invitation to President Sarkozy to visit Haiti. 
 
¶5.  (U)  CIVIL REGISTRATION REOPENS.  Haiti's National 
Identity Office (ONI), with assistance from the OAS, opened 
the first three civil registry offices on August 31, a month 
after the planned opening date of August 1.  (Note:  The 
 
PORT AU PR 00001620  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
offices double as voter registration offices.  Registration 
has been closed since 2005; see ref. End note.)  As of 
September 12, 28 offices were open across the country, and 
nearly 12,000 citizens had registered.  OAS technical expert 
Felix Ortega told Poloff on September 12 that most ONI 
offices are located within city halls, per an agreement 
between the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior. 
 Ortega said the operational cost for the offices are 
limited, as they use solar panels for power and are reusing 
laptops purchased for the 2005 registration season.  When the 
electoral council (CEP) needs a voter list, it must file a 
request with ONI 15 days in advance.  For the first elections 
under this system, the OAS plans to produce the voter list, 
with the expectation that ONI will independently produce 
lists for subsequent elections.  The OAS is also advising ONI 
on security, payroll, logistics and their website.  Once 
operational, the ONI website will post weekly registration 
statistics. 
 
¶6.  (U) ILLEGAL CUBAN, CHINESE AND VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS USE 
HAITI AS TRANSIT POINT TO THE U.S.  Yves Stanley Joseph, the 
Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Interior, told Poloff on 
September 21 that his ministry has noticed a marked increased 
in third country nationals using Haiti as a transit point for 
illegal migration.  Due to the illegal migrants' lack of 
proper travel documents, Joseph said that the Haitian 
immigration inspectors ''had to accept'' an increasing number 
of Cubans, Chinese, and Venezuelans that the Dominican 
authorities turned away at the border.  Stanley believed that 
many of these individuals came from Cuba with the plan of 
going through Haiti to the Dominican Republic, and then on to 
Puerto Rico and the United States.  Stanley claimed that 
preliminary evidence indicated that the human trafficking was 
organized by Dominicans.  Since the Haitian immigration 
inspectors are not able to identify fraudulent Chinese and 
Venezuelan passports, Stanley asked if the Embassy could 
arrange training sessions for them.  Consular Affairs is 
seeking ways to support the request. 
 
¶7.  (U)  DUVALIERISTS CELEBRATE ''PAPA DOC'' 50TH 
ANNIVERSARY.  Fifty years to the date that Francois ''Papa 
Doc'' Duvalier took office, hundreds turned out to celebrate 
on September 22 at the Duvalier Party Headquarters in 
Port-au-Prince.  The party-goers held a huge reception in 
honor of Duvalier, with many participants brought in 
truckloads to attend the event from neighboring towns. 
Duvalier's son, exiled ex-dictator Jean-Claude  ''Baby Doc'' 
Duvalier spoke of ''peace and reconciliation'' in a radio 
address from France.  He additionally made a plea to the 
Haitian people to forgive him for the excesses of his 
government and his father's.  (Note:  Having made it clear on 
prior occasions his desire to return to Haiti, Duvalier was 
careful to make no mention of returning to politics if he 
were permitted to return.  End note.) 
 
¶8.  (U)  EMBASSY FORUM ON BIOFUELS A SUCCESS.  On September 
20, post sponsored a forum on the development of a biofuels 
industry in Haiti.  The forum was attended by more than 40 
representatives from the Government of Haiti (GoH), the 
private sector, and civil society as well as university 
students. The forum was also covered by a number of Haitian 
media outlets. The Department of State-sponsored keynote 
speaker, Dr. Johanna Mendelson Foreman of the Center for 
Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), provided an 
overview of the economic and environmental impetus for 
biofuel production and the opportunities and challenges for 
the biofuels market in Haiti.  Key themes from the forum 
included: the possibility of biofuels production in Haiti for 
both internal and external markets, the need to overcome 
challenges such as the production cost of biofuels versus 
petroleum products, and the development of standards and 
regulations for the biofuels market matched to those in the 
U.S. 
 
¶9.  (U)  PRESIDENT PREVAL ASKS FOR U.S. HELP TO FIGHT 
CORRUPTION.  Preval told Ambassador and U.S. Treasury 
official on September 25 that he needs help to stamp out 
financial crimes and corruption.  Preval said he has the 
political will to fight corruption, but not the expertise. 
He appreciated the Secretary's rapid response to his August 
 
PORT AU PR 00001620  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
request for U.S. assistance to re-launch Haiti's Financial 
Crimes Task Force and pledged to support a proposed Treasury 
plan to help build Haitian capacity to investigate and 
prosecute money laundering, terrorist financing, corruption, 
and the seizure and confiscation of assets.  (Note:  U.S. 
Treasury Office of Technical Assistance Director Carlos 
Correa met with President Preval, the Minister of Justice, 
the Governor of the Central Bank and other key officials to 
discuss draft terms of reference and a related work plan to 
facilitate technical assistance during a visit to Haiti 
September 23-26.  GOH officials are currently reviewing the 
drafts for response.  End Note.) 
TIGHE