Cablegate: Dg Charles Update On Ex-Fadh in the Haitian National Police

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000689

SIPDIS

WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
DEPT FOR DS/IP/WHA
DS/DSS/ITA
DSERCC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2014
TAGS: PGOV KCRM PHUM PREL ASEC HA
SUBJECT: DG CHARLES UPDATE ON EX-FADH IN THE HAITIAN NATIONAL POLICE

REF: PAP 688

Classified By: Ambassador James B. Foley for Reasons: 1.4 (B) and (D)

1. (C) Summary: During a March 9 meeting with the DCM,
Haitian National Police (HNP) Director General Leon Charles
said that the group of ex-FADH competing for slots in the
17th promotion would be the last group of former military
integrated into the HNP this year. Charles also agreed to
make sure the ex-FADH recruits vying for a position in the
17th class will take the written exam on or around March 16,
and that the ex-FADH from the 15th class who did not complete
training would return in April to complete the course. OAS
officials charged with vetting police candidates reported
approximately 400 ex-FADH candidates at the Police Academy on
March 11 undergoing physical fitness testing. Charles'
statements on HNP recruitment and training standards are
reassuring, but his is not the final word on this issue and
the pressure to bring ex-FADH into the HNP remains high,
particularly following the demobilization of March 13. End
summary.

2. (C) DCM met with Charles on March 9 to emphasize the
importance of maintaining consistent standards regarding
ex-FADH recruits for the HNP. Charles provided detailed
assurances that the ex-FADH recruits competing for a slot in
the 17th class would take the same written exam that other
HNP applicants took. He stated that there were approximately
400 ex-FADH (chosen by the Managing Office for the
Demobilized Military) vying for the planned 200 slots in the
17th promotion. Charles said the test would be given on or
around March 16 at the Police Academy. Those selected would
also be subject to the OAS (USG-financed) vetting program.
Charles also said that the ex-FADH from the 15th class who
were rushed on to the streets last fall would return to class
following the 16th promotion's graduation in April. Finally,
Charles said that the ex-FADH in the 17th class would be the
last round of ex-FADH integrated into the HNP this year.
(Note: In a separate, written exchange with the Embassy
police advisor, the police chief noted that cadets from the
17th class would, upon graduation, be deployed throughout
Haiti on an individual basis and not as a group. End Note.)

3. (C) On March 11 OAS officials responsible for the vetting
program reported the arrival of the approximately 400 ex-FADH
candidates to the Police Academy for initial health and
physical fitness exams. The officials noted that the physical
fitness tests were "not rigorous" but that they were being
administered to all candidates. They also said that HNP
personnel assisting the OAS with the vetting program were
afraid to interview some of the ex-FADH candidates out of
concern they might be targeted if the panel disqualified an
applicant.

4. (C) Comment: Charles' assurances regarding the number of
ex-FADH and the requirement that they meet the same
requirements as civilians for entrance into the HNP are
welcome and follow continuous pressure from us. We note,
however, that Charles is not the only player involved in the
ex-FADH-HNP issue, and ultimately is subject to the political
pressures and decisions of PM Latortue, Justice Minister
Gousse, and others. We have raised this issue with them on
countless occasions, pointing out the real danger the IGOH
runs of losing international support for assistance to the
HNP if the process of integrating ex-FADH into the police
does not hew to the redlines we have laid down. We will
continue to monitor the recruitment, testing, and training
process, including a review of the written exam, test scores,
and fitness results. We are also investigating the
possibility of asking CIVPOL to assist the OAS with
background investigations and interviews.

5. (C) The March 13 arrival in Port-au-Prince of
approximately 325 ex-FADH "demobilized" from Cap-Haitien
(reftel) may further complicate matters, as many of them were
reportedly hearing that they would have jobs in the HNP
waiting for them. All of this raises the larger issue of
linking the MINUSTAH-led disarmament demobilization, and
reintegration (DDR) program to the process by which ex-FADH
are identified for HNP integration. Until now, the Interior
Ministry and/or the Managing Office have been in charge of
identifying possible ex-FADH candidates for the HNP. This
needs to change, so that ex-FADH candidates for the police
come out of the reintegration/counseling process that the UN
(with U.S. support through the International Organization for
Migration) will manage. End comment.
FOLEY

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