VZCZCXRO6346
RR RUEHQU
DE RUEHPU #1811/01 3182011
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 142011Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7202
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1347

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT AU PRINCE 001811 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR 
STATE PASS AID FOR LA/CAR 
INR/IAA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO HA
SUBJECT: UN REPS TELL U.S. SENATORS SECURITY, INVESTMENT, AND JOB 
CREATION ARE CRITICAL TO STABILIZE HAITI 
 
 
¶1. (U) This message is sensitive but unclassified -- please protect 
accordingly. 
 
¶2. (U) SUMMARY: Senators Bingaman, Harkin and Corker were briefed 
October 26 by UN officials on the current security and economic 
situation in Haiti.  UN representatives lauded U.S. support and 
encouraged continued engagement to reverse the environment of 
despair that threatens to undermine security gains and economic 
development.  End Summary. 
 
Security Overview 
----------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary General 
Luiz Carlos Da Costa told Senators Jeff Bingaman, Bob Corker and Tom 
Harkin that security in Haiti remains very fragile and rapid 
improvement in living conditions is essential for stability.  Haiti 
does not have "the luxury of time to wait for projects to bear 
fruit," Da Costa said. 
 
Cite Soleil 
----------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Da Costa characterized the neighborhood of Cite Soleil as a 
troubled area, but noted there are signs of hope.  The 20 million 
USD in assistance to the area (Note:  from the Haiti Stabilization 
Initiative.  End note.) was sorely needed and has provided 
opportunities for multi-faceted projects.  While the UN 
Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) has succeeded in 
dismantling the leadership of gang networks, its efforts had not 
totally halted all gang operations.  Da Costa remarked, "there will 
be no security without development and no development without 
security." 
 
MINUSTAH'S Mandate 
------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) The UN Security Council's recent renewal of MINUSTAH's 
mandate for one year was particularly significant in that it had 
expanded the mandate to include aiding Haiti in managing its land 
and maritime borders.  These borders are so porous that Haiti has 
become a transit point for illegal drugs, which in turn fuel the 
illegal weapons trade.  Da Costa said MINUSTAH has requested sixteen 
boats to reinforce the Haitian Coast Guard, as well as additional 
police units.  (Note:  The Haitian Coast Guard currently has nine 
boats, only two of which are operational.  End note.)  If borders 
are better managed, confiscated contraband (totaling 100 million USD 
in 2006) could yield additional revenue for the Haitian economy. 
 
¶6. (SBU) MINUSTAH Force Commander General Dos Santos Cruz noted that 
fifty percent of MINUSTAH troops are deployed in Port-au-Prince and 
added that the Martissant community is somewhat more difficult to 
secure than Cite Soleil because of its mountainous terrain, 
extremely poor living conditions, and the existence of armed, 
organized groups that are battling for turf.  Neverthless, 
Martissant was a lesser security threat than Cite Soleil had been 
before MINUSTAH intervened because the Martissant gangs primarily 
engaged in internecine warfare but did not challenge the presence of 
MINUSTAH forces or the Haitian National Police (HNP). 
 
¶7. (SBU) Senator Bingaman asked UN representatives to define 
concrete actions needed to provide hope and keep people from losing 
confidence.  Da Costa said the UN sees its mandate as comprehensive, 
although the first critical step is ensuring security.  Other 
actions are required to strengthen the Haitian National Police 
(HNP), bolster the justice sector and fight corruption. 
 
Police 
------ 
 
¶8. (U) Senator Harkin requested figures on police, prison and 
vehicle requirements.  MINUSTAH Police Commissioner Mamadou Diallo 
responded that the essential security objective is to return to a 
civilian order as soon as possible.  A meaningful increase in 
civilian police capacity and training is vital to this effort, he 
added.  MINUSTAH provides eighty percent of security while the HNP 
provides twenty percent.  Based on identified security requirements, 
14,000 police officers are needed by year 2011.  (Note: The HNP 
currently has approximately 8,900 officers. End Note.) 
Approximately 80% of security requirements are provided by MINUSTAH 
and 15% by the HNP. 
 
Prisons 
------- 
 
¶9. (U) On prison overcrowding, the National Prison has a capacity of 
 
PORT AU PR 00001811  002 OF 003 
 
 
600 people but is holding 3,200.  It is therefore "a time bomb." 
The women's prison has no plumbing.  There is currently no prison in 
Gonaives, but construction of one is supposed to start in 
approximately one month. 
 
Pre-trial detention often lasts months or longer; some people have 
been held in pre-trial detention for up to three years.  A 
commission has reviewed 400 dossiers of individuals held in 
pre-trial detention and has ordered 253 detainees released.  This 
morning there was a discovery that four weapons were smuggled into 
the national prison, intended for use in an end-of-year breakout. 
There are only 21 corrections officers, among whom corruption is 
allegedly a problem. 
¶9. (U) Da Costa expressed doubt that even the target number of 
14,000 police would be adequate to meet Haiti's total security 
personnel requirements.  Actual requirements could be higher.  He 
added that approximately 105 million USD per year is essential to 
retain momentum in training and equipping the Haitian National 
Police. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Senator Harkin questioned the impact on security of HNP 
candidates who do not meet vetting requirements.  Da Costa explained 
that of approximately 7,725 current HNP officers subject to vetting, 
as many as 1,100 might not pass vetting.  Candidates found to be 
linked to criminal activity will be separated from service and then 
tracked.  Others who fail vetting will be separated and redirected 
to other employment opportunities, where feasible. 
 
¶11. (U) Senator Corker asked whether current population growth rates 
contribute in some measure to instability given the numbers of 
unemployed youth and expected new entries into the workplace.  He 
questioned the likely impact of a growing prison population on 
prison overcrowding.  Da Costa noted that many detention centers 
were destroyed during the previous political crisis, thereby 
reinforcing the urgency of case review for those currently 
incarcerated, as well as the importance of strengthening the justice 
sector. 
 
Investment and Job Creation 
---------------------------- 
 
¶12. (U) Da Costa acknowledged that ensuring security was critical to 
stabilizing Haiti, but emphasized the crucial next step should be 
generation of economic momentum and job creation.  Even though 
foreign donors contributed 60 percent of Haiti's total budget the 
previous fiscal year, Da Costa opined that this support alone is not 
enough to spur economic development.  Private investment and 
long-term job creation are critical to satisfy current and future 
employment demand, especially given the young age of the population. 
 Da Costa estimated sixty percent of the population is less than 20 
years old.  Without job opportunities for these youth, extreme 
challenges to governance and overall stability will remain, he 
warned. 
 
¶13. (U) Senator Corker inquired about the type of private investment 
needed given migration rates to urban areas.  Da Costa observed that 
a belt of economic activity outside of Port-au-Prince must be 
created to meet the needs of the rural and small town population, 
and said possible opportunities might lie in: 
 
-  maximizing job creation under the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity 
Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act; 
 
-  exploring biofuels technology (Note: Da Costa indicated Brazilian 
President Da Silva will travel to Haiti in November and discuss 
biofuels with GoH interlocutors. (Note:  Haiti is one of four 
countries with which the U.S. and Brazil have established a biofuels 
partnership. End Note.); 
 
-  focusing on agriculture; and 
 
-  emphasizing technical and vocational schools that link to 
concrete onward employment. 
 
¶14. (U) Participants: 
 
United Nations 
-------------- 
Acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary General Luiz 
Carlos Da Costa 
MINUSTAH Force Commander Major-General Carlos Alberto Dos Santos 
Cruz 
MINUSTAH Police Commissioner Mamadou Mountaga Diallo 
 
United States 
------------- 
 
PORT AU PR 00001811  003 OF 003 
 
 
U.S. Ambassador Janet Sanderson 
U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman 
U.S. Senator Tom Harkin 
U.S. Senator Bob Corker 
CODEL Staffers Chris Stone, Scott Miller, Anne Oswalt, Ellen Murray, 
Rosemary Gutierrez 
U.S. Embassy PolCounselor Michael Bosshart 
U.S. Embassy Acting EconChief Margaret Diop 
U.S. Embassy PolOff Mballe Nkembe 
 
SANDERSON