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DE RUEHPU #0795/01 1542104
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P 022104Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8293
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 1936
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 0168
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000795 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/02/2018 
TAGS: PREL ECON HA BR
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT LULA REITERATES BRASILIA'S SUPPORT FOR 
HAITI DURING BRIEF STOP IN PORT-AU-PRINCE 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Janet A. Sanderson, reason 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary. Brazilian President Ignacio Lula da Silva 
visited Haiti for seven hours on May 28. meeting at length 
with President Preval and other senior Haitian officials.  He 
reiterated his nation's support for Haiti and announced that 
it would build a major dam for the generation of 
hydroelectric power. Lula pressed Preval on the current 
political vacuum here, but got only limited assurances on the 
status of PM-designate Manuel in return. The Brazilian leader 
also underscored his nation's intention to continue its 
participation in MINUSTAH, announcing that an additional 100 
engineers would be dispatched to Haiti. Lula took Preval to 
visit the Brazilian troops currently serving in Haiti. The 
two sides signed six cooperation agreements, highlighting 
Brazilian assistance in ag development, education, health, 
and social issues. Subsequent to the visit, Preval told me 
that he was very pleased with the trip. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) The seven hour visit of Brazilian President Luiz 
Ignacio Lula da Silva to Port-au-Prince on May 28 was, by all 
accounts, a major success.  Both Haitian and Brazilian 
officials tell us that they are pleased with the outcome of 
the long-awaited visit, noting that the two sides were able 
to move closer on key issues. In addition to the one-on-one 
presidential meeting, the visit included a ceremony where the 
two sides signed six cooperation agreements, a quasi-press 
conference, and a joint visit to Brazilian troops serving 
with MINUSTAH. The agreements included accords on visa 
reciprocity, technical and educational cooperation, 
establishment of an experimental agricultural station, and an 
agreement on agricultural security planning.  The two sides 
also agreed to develop a means to combat violence against 
women. Lula, who traveled with ten of his ministers, appeared 
in a jovial mood, often throwing his arms around his Haitian 
host. Following the accords ceremony, Preval (as is his wont) 
waffled on whether the two should speak to the press, but 
gave in when the Brazilian delegation observed that their 
president was already talking to the assembled journalists. 
 
¶3. (C) Brazilian Ambassador Igor Kippman (protect) told me 
that the two leaders hit it off well, their one-on-one 
meeting running an hour, much longer than scheduled. 
According to a read-out he received from Brazilian FM Amorin, 
the session in Preval's private office was warm and 
congenial. Lula "very, very diplomatically" broached the 
issue of Haiti's long-delayed senatorial elections and 
expressed Brazil's concern about the continuing political 
vacuum in Haiti.  Preval said that he was cautiously hopeful 
Bob Manuel would be confirmed as Prime Minister, but said he 
foresaw a fight ahead.  He was evasive about his own efforts 
on Manuel's behalf. Preval committed to go forward with 
elections, but offered no time frame.  The two further 
discussed concessional financing, agricultural development 
and the current food crisis. Lula pledged to work with the 
donor committee at the FAO meetings in Rome to help Haiti 
out, noting that he is hosting a two hour meeting on Haiti 
along the margins of the Rome session. Preval pressed Brazil 
to provide Haiti with infrastructure support, including 
roads. 
 
¶4. (C) Kippman reported that in the broader meeting, Preval 
pressed Lula for "tractors, not tanks" (a familiar turn of 
phrase) to address Haiti's economic development needs.  While 
expressing appreciation for Brazil's important contribution 
to MINUSTAH, Preval said the threat to Haiti has changed over 
the past year. Haiti now faces a socio-economic challenge, 
rather than a security crisis. He urged MINUSTAH to take on a 
significant development element and asked Brazil to lead the 
way. Lula offered to build a hydro-electric dam over the next 
three years nad committed to plussing up the Brazilian 
military engineer contingent here by 100 members.  Kippman 
will travel to Brasilia shortly to begin technical 
negotiations on the dam project and will be joined in 
mid-June by Haitian officials from the Ministry of Public 
Works, Ministry of Agriculture and EDH. Preval will then 
visit Brasilia on August 13 to sign the final agreement for 
the dam. Lula and his delegation also agreed to examine ways 
to broaden his government's support for Haiti's health and 
education sectors and will be shoring up its school canteen 
program. (Note. As an aside, we note that the Haitian 
delegation at this session was short a Prime Minister, 
lameduck PM Alexis having called in sick at the last moment. 
Bob Manuel remained in his office for the day. According to 
Kippman, the lack of a PM made for some uncomfortable moments 
around the meeting room as the two delegations waited for 
their principals to emerge. End Note.) 
 
 
PORT AU PR 00000795  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶5. (C) In a brief meeting with the diplomatic corps after the 
press conference, Lula - with Preval at his side - said that 
he would use the FAO Rome Meeting to highlight the current 
food crisis' impact on Haiti. Drawing on what were clearly 
prepared talking points, he told me he wanted to underscore 
to the participants that biofuels were not taking food out of 
the mouths of the poor. Instead science offered the 
possibility of increased production to feed the world. Lula 
added that he wanted to make sure that the world clearly 
understood that the crisis was not due to recent shifts to 
biofuels. 
 
¶6. (C)  Following lunch, the two presidents visited the 
Brazilian base near the airport, a stop that Lula insisted 
that his host make.  (Kippman says Preval tried to duck the 
visit, but was unable to do so.)  The next day, Haitian 
newspaper readers were treated to pictures of the two 
presidents in Brazilian military berets, Preval 
looking decidedly uncomfortable.  UN SRSG Ambassador Hedi 
Annabi, who accompanied the two presidents to the base, 
reported that the Brazilian President told his troops that 
Brazil remains committed to the mission here "as long as 
MINUSTAH needs us." He furthermore committed his country to 
mobilize the Latin neighbors. The Brazilian Minister of 
Defense also told Annabi that he wanted to make it 
"absolutely clear" that Brazil would remain engaged 
militarily; there was no question of pulling out. 
 
¶7. (C) Along the fringes of Preval's meeting AID/LAC AA Jose 
Cardenas (reported septel) the following day, Preval told me 
that the Lula visit had gone "very, very, very well."  He 
noted that the Brazilians are moving quickly to address 
Haiti's electrical problems, which he hoped will make some 
impact on the country's deteriorating electrical grid. He did 
question if Brazil can put together the hydro-electrical 
project by the time he arrives in Brasilia August 13, but 
expressed optimism that Lula would deliver. 
SANDERSON