Viewing cable 04MONTREAL1574, MONTREAL CONFERENCE WITH THE HAITI DIASPORA (MCHD)

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MONTREAL 001574 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAN AND WHA/CAR 
 
PORT AU PRINCE FOR POL AND ECON SECTIONS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
 
E.0. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: PREL EINV EAID SENV CA HA
SUBJECT: MONTREAL CONFERENCE WITH THE HAITI DIASPORA (MCHD) 
(DECEMBER 10-11, 2004) 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary. Members of the Haitian Diaspora from 
Canada, the U.S. and Europe assembled December 10-11, 2004, 
to participate in the MCHD. Canadian Prime Minister (PM) 
Paul Martin emphasized, at the opening of the MCHD plenary 
session, that his administration's initiative to invite 
members of the Haitian Diaspora to participate in a 
conference in Montreal, is the first-ever conference of this 
kind that the Government of Canada (GOC) has conducted with 
a diaspora of any kind. The Canadian Foundation for the 
Americas (FOCAL) served as conference facilitator. GOC 
officials, upset with a band of persistent pro-Aristide 
supporters protesting outside the conference venue, 
denounced allegations that the GOC is attempting to make 
Haiti a protectorate. (Note: Government of Quebec (GOQ) 
Premier Jean Charest, reportedly after a rift over the role 
he would play in the event, was conspicuously absent and is 
alleged to have banned his team from attending the full 
slate of the Dec. 11 activities. End note.) Prominent 
conference themes included: the need to improve security in 
Haiti in order to move forward with projects (education, 
democratic reform, health, women's issues, etc.), the plea 
for the Haitian Diaspora to play a role (ie. provide 
expertise) in reconstructing Haiti and the call for a "long- 
term" commitment (in addition to spontaneous humanitarian 
aid) to rebuild Haiti. PM Martin informed conference 
attendees that his Administration continue work to maintain 
a spotlight on Haiti in "La Francophonie". GOC Ministers 
announced a plan to lead a Haitian Diaspora mission to Haiti 
(possibly in January 2005). Florida Governor Jeb Bush, 
invited to attend the conference, sent Deputy Chief of Staff 
William W. Large to represent him at the MCHD. Montreal 
Consul General (CG) Bernadette Allen attended the MCHD as 
observer. End summary. 
 
(U) Opening Night (Friday, December 10). 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) FOCAL organizers appeared a bit overwhelmed by the 
public response to participate in the MCHD. Several dozen 
pre-registrants (including Montreal CG) among the 400 "by 
invitation only" guests arrived at the venue to find their 
names on the registration list at the check-in table, but no 
credential to enter the conference reception. We initially 
were asked to wait for credentials to be printed, but were 
ushered into the reception hall an hour later (still without 
credential), just a few minutes before the evening's 
reception commenced. CG learned that a number of persons 
who had not been invited to the conference managed to 
infiltrate the evening's event by feigning to be members of 
the media (showing credentials for "non-existent" community 
newspapers or radio programs). 
 
¶3. (U) A demonstration (about 150 persons) outside the 
venue caught FOCAL organizers and many conference 
participants by surprise. The daylong snowstorm did not 
deter persistent Haitian-flag bearing, placard holding pro- 
Aristide supporters from chanting, drumming and blowing 
whistles throughout the evening. From five floors above 
ground level, the non-violent, yet boisterous crowd could be 
heard in the background as speakers took their respective 
turns to welcome conference participants. Placards were 
inscribed with epithets: "Death or Aristide", "Martin + Bush 
= Accomplices", and the like. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Reception speakers included: GOC Minister of 
International Cooperation Aileen Carroll (Conference Co- 
President), GOC Minister for "La Francophonie" Jacques Saada 
(Conference Co-President), Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay, 
Quebec Minister of Relations with Citizens and Immigration 
Michelle Courchesne (on behalf of Quebec Premier Jean 
Charest) and Haitian Ambassador for Haitians Living Abroad 
Alix Baptiste. GOC Foreign Minister Pettigrew, unable to 
attend at the last moment, sent videotaped remarks. All 
speakers emphasized the critical needs in Haiti, noted the 
devastating floods that Hurricane Jeanne inflicted in areas 
such as Gonaives, praised the response of the Haitian 
community in Canada (notably Quebec) in providing 
spontaneous humanitarian aid to flood victims, highlighted 
the importance of reconciliation and leaving differences 
behind in order to move forward in Haiti, and expressed the 
hope that the conference would result in identifying a cadre 
of professionals committed to long-term work on concrete 
projects to reconstruct Haiti. 
 
(SBU) (Note: Initially billed to address conference 
participants, GOQ Premier Charest was a no-show. In July 
2004, he and Florida Governor Jeb Bush had highlighted 
interest in a Quebec-Florida mission to Haiti, in a joint 
press conference during the Florida trade mission to Quebec. 
CG learned that Charest, reportedly not pleased with the 
less than prominent role that the GOC had in mind for him at 
the MCHD, pulled out of the event on opening night and is 
alleged to have banned his staff from attending the next 
day's slate of activities. CG was informed that Charest 
arranged a private meeting with Interim Government of Haiti 
(IGOH) Prime Minister Latourtue. End note.) 
 
(U) Conference Day, Saturday, December 12, 2004 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶5. (U) The conference, which closed two hours later than the 
scheduled 4:00pm closure, was divided into a morning plenary 
session with a slate of speakers and an afternoon of 
workshops. IGOH PM Latortue stayed to participate in the 
conference luncheon. (Note: CG, seated at a table adjacent 
to PM Latorture, did speak with Interim PM Latortue to 
reiterate U.S. Government support and convey personal best 
wishes for Haiti. He appeared genuinely pleased to learn of 
USG presence at the conference. End note.) 
 
¶6. (U) The speakers' for the morning session were: 
a) Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin; 
b) Interim Haitian Prime Minister Gerard Latortue; 
c) GOC Minister of International Cooperation Aileen Carroll 
(Conference Co-President); 
d) GOC Minister for La Francophonie Jacques Saada 
(Conference Co-Pressident); 
e) Special Representative and Chief of the U.N. 
Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) Ambassador Juan 
Gabriel Valdes; 
f) IGOH Minister of Planning Roland Pierre; 
g) Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Interim 
Cooperation Framework Director Yves Petillon; and 
h) a panel of seven representatives from Haitian Diaspora 
organizations. The seven organizations and respective 
representatives, including one each from the U.S. and 
France, were: 
 (1) Regroupement des Organismes Canado-Haitien Pour Le 
 Developpement (ROCAHD), Mr. Eric Faustin; 
(2) Point de Ralliement des Femmes D'Origine Haitienne, Ms. 
Marlene Rateau; 
(3) Conseil National des Citoyens et Citoyennes d'Origine 
Haitienne (CONACOH), Mr. Keder Hyppolite; 
(4) Alliance Gonaivenne de Montreal, Mr. Olthene Tanisma; 
(5) Federation des Associations Regionales Haitiennes a 
l'Etranger (FAHRE), Ms. Marie-Carolle Tertulien (in New York 
City); 
(6) Agence Haitienne pour le Developpement Local (AHDEL), 
Mr. Romel Louis-Jacques (in Paris); and 
(7) Projet du Premier Congres Mondial de la Diaspora 
Haitienne - Mr. Georges Anglade. 
 
¶7. (U) Canadian PM Martin, noting that Montreal hosts the 
largest concentration of Haitians (estimated at 125,000) in 
Canada, remarked that Haitians have enriched the Canadian 
mosaic and helped form the unique tie between Canada and 
Haiti. He emphasized Canadian solidarity with the Haitian 
people, highlighting Canada's deployment of a stabilization 
force in March 2004 in response to the security crisis, the 
spontaneous humanitarian support that Canada provided in 
response to the recent floods in Gonaives and Canada's role 
in ensuring that Haiti was given prominence at the 
Francophone Summit in Burkina Faso. He spoke of Canada's 
commitment to contribute to the European Union and 
Francophone Summit project that will focus on improving 
Haiti's judicial system through training of magistrates and 
modernizing penal procedures. He stated that Canada will 
join other countries in financing the 2005 elections, will 
work with Hydro Quebec to replicate the success story of the 
Jackmel electrification project (24/7 electricity) in other 
regions in Haiti and, at the request of IGOH PM Latortue, 
and will consider financing a rail route that would provide 
a second transportation means from Port au Prince to the 
south. He called for reconciliation and national dialogue 
(to include Lavalas), noting that without securing the 
peace, it would be difficult to move forward with 
reconstruction in Haiti. 
 
¶8. (U) IGOH PM Latortue, stating that only months ago he was 
a member of the Haitian Diaspora (HD), made a plea for 
members of the HD to help create a new Haiti. He said the 
HD holds the key to changing the mentality in Haiti, stated 
that it is time to recognize the collective interest above 
individual ambitions and interests. He congratulated the 
GOC for the conference initiative, noting that while there 
is a large Haitian community in Florida, that never before 
had a meeting of this kind between a government and the 
Haitian diaspora been conducted. He stated that while 
spontaneous humanitarian aid is not a bad thing, what Haiti 
really needs is a long-term commitment that leads to durable 
solutions. He spoke of the 2005 elections, emphasizing that 
the leaders in the IGOH have no particular party 
affiliations and that none of the current leaders would seek 
political office in the upcoming election. He lamented that 
past dictatorships had chased away a middle class with 
expertise that could help build a stong Haitian nation. He 
urged professionals in the HD to return to Haiti, even if 
only for weeks or a few months to offer services or 
expertise. He suggested, for example, that Haitians who are 
serving as university professors in places like Yale, 
Oxford, Univ. of Montreal and other places around the world, 
could return to conduct summer seminars for university 
students, if unable or unwilling to leave their current 
professional positions. He added that HD expertise will be 
needed for the 2005 elections (eg., supervisors, observers), 
for job creation to enhance the economy beyond the close to 
US$1 billion in remittances that the HD sends to family 
members yearly. Moreover, he suggested that the HD could 
help the economy by spending tourism dollars, such as 
retirees escaping the Canadian winters to summer homes in 
Haiti or youth vacationing in Haiti. He acknowledged that 
there are security concerns in Haiti, but stated that the 
media distorts the story and that much of the security 
problems are localized. To further his plea for a return to 
Haiti, he stated that "Israelis aren't afraid to return to 
Israel", and questioned why Haitians should be afraid to 
return home. 
 
¶9. (U) MINUSTAH Ambassador Valdes informed the conference 
attendees that MINUSTAH initially lacked adequate troop 
strength to significantly reduce the violence and that 
deployments had been difficult, including workdays with 
16-hour shifts. He said the security situation has improved 
with the 5000 troops in place and will soon be better when 
the deployment level reaches 6300 troops. He reported that 
the local police are dedicated, but that it has been 
difficult for them to maintain security because the local 
population has not liked the police and has not had trust in 
the local police force over the years. He suggested that 
Latin American countries sent troops to Haiti because Latin 
Americans can empathize with Haitians, having shared similar 
experiences in their respective countries' histories. When 
asked whether or when MINUSTAH troops will "disarm the 
thugs", Valdes responded that "taking away the arms is the 
easy part, the tough job is building people's trust to have 
a dialogue without arms." He added that at some point in 
time, if necessary, MINUSTAH will cut off communication 
between groups that promote violence and intimidate Haitian 
citizens. When asked how MINUSTAH could aid a women's group 
in Montreal that has been having difficulty getting its 
several containers of goods delivered to Gonaives, Valdes 
did not provide a response. 
 
¶10. (U) The several HD organizations on the panel that 
Canadian Special Advisor on Haiti Denis Coderre moderated 
provided overviews on the types of expertise their 
respective organizations could provide. Many spoke of the 
possibility of providing professional skills in education, 
health care, nutrition, promoting women's rights and human 
rights. One representative suggested his organization could 
offer a study to ensure the successful coherence of projects 
for long-term success (such as a ten or fifteen year plan). 
Many representatives expressed concern that Haitians in 
Haiti may be resistant to help from the HD. The PAFHA 
representative said that Haiti is not well-known in France, 
that PAFHA is conducting an educational campaign to generate 
interest in Haiti. There was consensus that a Haitian 
middle class needs to drive development in Haiti. 
 
¶11. (U) The afternoon workshops were designed around five 
themes: 
 a) political governance, 
b) national dialogue, 
c) economic governance and institutional development, 
d) economic revitalization and, 
e) access to basic services. 
 
Each workshop addressed three questions: 
 (1) In light of your theme, what role can the diaspora 
 play?; 
(2) What conditions are needed to achieve a uccessful 
intervetion by the iaspor?; ad 
(3 In the log term, bearing in mind that the Interim 
Cooperation Framework ends in 2006, what are the 
perspectives for a long-term intervention by the HD? 
 
(U) After each workshop revealed its results, the consensus 
reached in the plenary wrap-up was: 
 a) that a survey of expertise within the HD is needed; 
b) that there should be a moratorium on deporting 
criminals presently in Canada and the U.S. to Haiti; 
c) that the Haitian population in Haiti needs to be 
prepared for the return of the HD, that the IGOH should 
install a "welcoming organization", so that the HD is not 
seen by the local population as a band of intruders; 
d) that the HD needs to respect Haitians in Haiti and not 
return as experts with arrogant attitudes; 
e) that FOCAL should provide e-mail followups to the MCHD; 
f) that the Interim Cooperation Framework should be 
inclusive for all the HD groups; 
g) that there should be continued inter-diaspora 
coordination among Haitian groups in Canada, the U.S. and 
Europe; 
h) that there should be humble and useful dialogue in the 
development of concrete projects; 
i) that there should be a creation of a HD Secretariat 
(with financing) or permanent structure where members of the 
HD can continue to send ideas and suggestions; 
j) that youth should not be excluded or pushed away when 
offering support and services to Haiti; 
k) that women must be allowed to support reconstruction in 
Haiti; and 
l) that a long-term commitment (ten, fifteen or twenty 
years) is needed for Haiti, not just a cycle of spontaneous 
responses to humanitarian needs. 
 
 ¶12. (U) In the closing of the conference, Canadian Special 
Advisor to Haiti Denis Coderre and GOC Minister of "La 
Francophonie" Jacques Saada, visibly angry about the 
continuous band of boisterous pro-Aristide demonstrators, 
emphasized they were addressing their remarks to the few 
dozen persons who had protested throughout the day. Coderre 
asked the demonstrators to "stop the hate", said it was a 
"ridiculous lie" to suggest that the GOC is attempting to 
make Haiti a protectorate. Saada said he twice tried to 
speak with the demonstrators, but that some hurled insults 
at him and others turned their backs on him. Saada also 
announced that he and Coderre plan to organize an official 
Haitian Diaspora delegation to Haiti, possibly in January 
¶2005. 
ALLEN