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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000689 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 exFADH 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 exFADH 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 CapHaitien (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 (Edited and reading.) reformatted by Andres for ease of