US embassy cable - 05OTTAWA2081

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 002081 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CA, HA, PGOV, PREL, KPKO, Elections 
SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTRY BRIEFING ON HAITIAN ELECTIONS 
 
 
1. (SBU) FAC briefed members of the Haitian election 
observer's steering committee July 8 to help shore up their 
commitment to supporting the observation mission. 
Participants were told that the process is largely on track 
but requires continued coordination and close cooperation if 
it is to be successful.  Canadian officials said that the 
deteriorating security environment is slowing the 
registration process and must be brought under control by 
MINUSTAH before the elections.  The Chilean official in 
attendance stressed the importance of close coordination on 
the ground in Haiti, especially if there is more than one 
observer mission operational.  End Summary 
 
2. (SBU) Poloff attended a briefing July 8 by FAC Director of 
Caribbean and Central America Division Christian Lapointe and 
his Haiti team for diplomatic representatives of the Steering 
Committee for the Haitian elections (Chile, Jamaica, Mexico, 
Brazil, Panama, the Dominican Republic and the U.S.). 
Lapointe had told Poloff  previously that there was some 
concern on the part of the Government of Canada that members 
of the elections steering committee were not stepping up to 
the plate in support of the observation mission. 
 
3. (SBU) Lapointe explained that with the task of 
registration being done by the OAS and the election itself 
being organized by the UN there was a need for an independent 
body outside the process itself to observe and evaluate the 
elections.  He provided participants with a folder of 
documents (e-mailed to WHA/CAR), some of which were shared in 
the Montreal pre-conference on elections and others of which 
have been developed since.  Lapointe stressed the importance 
of all members of the steering committee buying into the 
process, and of the committee being completely free of 
government influence and control.  He said that Elections 
Canada Chief Jean Pierre Kingsley insists on having observers 
who are free from government control, and for that reason 
only included on the steering committee institutions from 
countries that have an autonomous electoral commission.  A 
senior CIDA official referred to the report commissioned by 
CIDA by the consultants David Lee and Andre Bouchard, which 
stressed the need for a mix 
of many different persons from different backgrounds and 
countries of origin to make an effective observer force. 
 
4. (SBU) Lapointe said that the GOC is concerned with the 
security environment which has continued to deteriorate since 
Montreal and is now reaching a critical stage.  He said the 
key is for MINUSTAH to start to take more robust actions to 
tamp down the violence and instability caused by criminal 
activities, kidnappings, and political crimes.  Registration, 
Lapointe said, is being delayed by the uptick in violence. 
He said there are currently 101 registration sites opened, 
far below the July 15 target of 424  Lapointe said it appears 
there will be a requirement for 6 additional weeks for the 
registration process, but that will then leave no additional 
time without delaying the elections themselves. 
 
5. (SBU) Lapointe then commented on the budget, saying there 
was a need for $62 million for the entire process, and with 
recent inputs by the US and EU there was still a shortfall of 
$8 million.  One of the CIDA officers suggested, however, 
that there was not a shortfall and with the US and EU money 
there was sufficient funding in the coffers to cover the 
mission. 
 
6. (SBU) The observer process itself, CIDA said, would be 
inspired by the model used to monitor the Iraqi elections, 
but with considerable flexibility.  There is consideration 
being given to sending a pre-mission delegation to Haiti to 
prepare the ground but no agreement on what size delegation 
to send or when. 
 
7. (SBU) Several of the delegates made statements: 
 
--    Mexico: The Federal Institute of Elections is in 
contact with Elections Canada and is satisfied with how the 
process is unfolding.  The GOM will support the steering 
committee with money and as necessary, personnel, while 
allowing enough distance for the body to retain credibility. 
He added that there are still some questions about how the 
observers will carry out their work on the ground. 
 
--    Chile:  The participant stressed the importance of 
coordination between the observers and other entities such as 
the OAS and UN.  He suggested that the observer mission have 
liaisons at both locations.  He also noted that there will 
probably be other observers, such as the EU, and urged that 
there be an effort to coordinate with them as well.  The 
worst case would be one in which two groups of observers 
arrive at differing conclusions as to the quality of the 
election.  Lapointe agreed with the need for better 
coordination, noting that the OAS SecGen, who had recently 
returned from Haiti, had his staff call the Montreal meeting 
to inquire why the OAS was not represented, while in fact an 
OAS representative was seated at the main table.  This 
meeting, Lapointe said, is a further effort at coordination. 
--    Jamaica: The Jamaican High Commissioner commented that 
of the three aspects of viable elections -- that they be 
fair, free, and express the will of the people -- the most 
important is the latter.  Free and fair will always be 
somewhat subjective, but an expression of the will of the 
people will be fairly clear.  This will be the bottom line 
measurement for success coming out of the elections since 
only a clear validation of the popular will can provide the 
strength the new government will need to be effective. 
 
--    Dominican Republic:  There was concern expressed about 
the lack of identification among Haitian citizens.  According 
to some estimates only five percent of Haitians have any kind 
of id.  Lapointe commented that by mid-July there should be 
30-35 registration offices per day opening.  There are 
considerable logistical challenges but the process seems to 
be accelerating. 
 
Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa 
 
WILKINS