US embassy cable - 05PORTAUPRINCE2608

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 002608 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR 
DRL 
S/CRS 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR 
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, HA, Elections 
SUBJECT: HAITI ELECTIONS: SOME PROGRESS, MILES TO GO 
 
REF: A. PORT-AU-PRINCE 2570 
 
     B. PORT-AU-PRINCE 2569 
 
1. Summary: S/CRS Pascual and WHA/CAR Duddy's visit to Haiti 
on October 12-13 focused on the need for immediate action to 
advance elections and maintain the February 7 political 
transition.  The group met with UNPOL, political party 
leaders, the Prime Minister, the Provisional Electoral 
Council (CEP), the Support Committee (SC) to the CEP, and 
SRSG Valdes.  Though whip cracking by the SC and 
international community has produced some results since 
October 10, it was clear that the inability of the CEP, SC 
and IGOH to take key actions continues to hamper progress 
towards elections.  MINUSTAH leaders explained that CEP 
inaction on key issues has slowed some aspects of elections 
preparations and brought others to a standstill.  The PM, SC 
and CEP reaffirmed their commitment to the process, but the 
delegation insisted that all three bodies must produce 
concrete results to maintain international favor by the 
October 18 Core Group meeting at UN headquarters.  End 
Summary. 
 
2. In the last week, significant urging from the 
international community and new Support Committee (SC) has 
led to some elections progress, but most of the famed ten 
tasks presented at the September New York Core Group by SRSG 
Valdes remain incomplete.  MINUSTAH elections officials 
maintained that CEP inaction has slowed elections progress in 
some ways and stopped it altogether in others.  For example, 
the CEP,s failure to identify voting centers or allow 
MINUSTAH to select the sites, as they were supposed to do by 
September 30, has created a bottleneck.  As a direct result 
of the CEP,s inaction, the OAS cannot distribute ID cards 
(REF A), the HNP and MINUSTAH cannot finalize their security 
plans for Election Day, and MINUSTAH cannot finalize its 
logistical plans. 
 
3. SC member and Minister of Culture and Communication 
Magalie Comeau-Denis admitted that the SC,s evaluation of 
elections had slowed progress in the last week, but said that 
the process would ultimately move forward more quickly as a 
result of the SC's efforts.  The SC and Provisional Electoral 
Council (CEP) were quick to point out that they had 
established new internal bylaws to govern the CEP and made 
significant progress towards choosing a director general, who 
the SC said it hoped would be in place by October 14.  The PM 
promised the visiting party he would ensure that a DG of the 
CEP would be installed and tasked with setting firm electoral 
dates before the PM left the country October 15 (REF B). 
(Note:  The acting Prime Minister installed Jacques Bernard 
as DG on Saturday, October 15.  Bernard declined to go to the 
October 21 Brussels conference arguing that the priority is 
to get to work here.  End Note.)  In addition, the PM said 
some electoral decrees would be forthcoming such as the 
decree removing the Supreme Court from the appeals process, 
which will facilitate a faster electoral cycle, and the 
decree on public financing for political parties. 
 
4. The CEP, SC and PM reaffirmed their commitment to 
elections before February 7.  However, Ambassador Pascual, 
Mr. Duddy, and the Charge pushed the members of the SC to 
produce concrete results in advance of the Core Group at UN 
headquarters October 18 and the Brussels donors, conference 
October 21.  They urged the IGOH, CEP, and SC to begin with 
February 7 and work backwards to complete a workplan ending 
in the transfer power on February 7.  They underlined that 
the only way to maintain the donor community's long-term 
commitment to Haiti would be to reassure donors of the 
viability of the transition through results. 
 
5. Ambassador Pascual and Mr. Duddy did not have the 
opportunity to clear this before dispatch. 
CARNEY