C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANTO DOMINGO 007536 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CAR, DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USOAS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2013 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PINR DR HA SUBJECT: HAITIAN AMBASSADOR TO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC RESIGNS: ANOTHER BLOW TO ARISTIDE REF: A. PORT AU PRINCE 2540 ¶B. SANTO DOMINGO 4930 Classified By: ACTING DCM MARY B. MARSHALL FOR REASONS 1.5 B/D SUMMARY ¶1. (C) On December 18 the Haitian Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Guy Alexandre called on the Ambassador and Acting DCM to confirm his resignation. The sudden news (prompted by the violent December 5 crackdown on student demonstrators in Haiti) was widely covered December 16 while Ambassador Alexandre was out of the country visiting his wife in Puerto Rico. Ambassdor Alexandre's resignation is due to what he described as "incompatible principles" with Arisitide's government. Composed but staunch in his resolve, Alexandre assured the Ambassador that he has no plans to seek asylum in the United States for now. Requesting asylum, he explained, would "further complicate Dominican-Haitian bilateral relations" and would not be in his nor Haiti's best interests. Instead, Alexandre said he would seek residency in the Dominican Republic and teach at a university. End Summary. ALEXANDRE RESIGNS AS AMBASSADOR TO THE DR ¶2. (C) Ambassador Guy Alexandre met with the Ambassador and Acting DCM on December 18 to discuss his recent resignation. He said that he had planned to leave his post in January 2004 after Haiti's independence bicentennial celebrations, which would have also marked two years in his assignment. However, he could not ignore the recent violence against students in Haiti because of his strong links to the academic community there. According to Alexandre, police officers broke both knees of one of his friends, a vice-rector at a university (Ref A). The December 5 violence, he lamented, "produced an irrevocable situation that cannot be easily fixed," following months of extreme polarization and resulting chaos. ¶3. (C) According to Ambassador Alexandre's contacts in Haiti, there are daily protests or preemptive crackdowns by police on potential protests. He warned of an upsurge in armed civilians looking for trouble. Alexandre expressed his concern that the environment in Haiti is ripe for confrontation, which might subside briefly during Christmas but is sure to resume in January. He commented that Haiti has minimal capacity to maintain order and that "none of the Haitian politicians realize that the country is a ticking time bomb." REMOVE ARISTIDE...THEN WHAT? ¶4. (C) Ambassador Alexandre criticized opposition groups' preoccupation with forcing Aristide's departure without considering the consequences. He emphasized that Aristide's exit will not solve Haiti's socio-economic problems. Alexandre also criticized his countrymen for their focus on grabbing power rather than tackling the difficult problems of health, education and infrastructure. The Ambassador asked Alexandre whether there are clandestine movements in the Dominican Republic working to overthrow Aristide, to which Alexandre responded that he does not know of any such activity. He acknowledged that some disgruntled former Haitian military officers reside in the Dominican Republic, but said most of the pressure on Aristide originates in Haiti. He recalled the 1991-94 period when many Haitians fled the country, but claimed there was no no mass migration. During that time Alexandre personally assisted 30 Haitians, including a former Army chief. DOMINICAN-HAITIAN BILATERAL RELATIONS ¶5. (C) Less than three weeks before his resignation, Ambassador Alexandre met with the Ambassador on December 1 to discuss concerns about Dominican-Haitian bilateral relations. He was disturbed about the GODR's apparent nonchalant investigations regarding the Haitian bodies discovered along the border in September (Ref B). Alexandre also said the GODR is not doing enough to document Haitians. He complained that the GODR often uses Article 11 of the Dominican Constitution (providing that anyone born on Dominican soil is Dominican except offspring of diplomats or foreigners in transit) to deny citizenship to Haitians for being "foreigners in transit." Ambassador Alexandre also blamed the failure of the 2001 OAS initiative on a lack of OAS impartiality (Note: This argument was reiterated at the follow-up meeting on December 18. End note). ALEXANDRE'S ONWARD PLANS ¶6. (C) Alexandre said he currently plans to reside in the Dominican Republic, not flee to the United States. He was traveling to Puerto Rico when his resignation hit the press and returned quickly thereafter. He emphasized his desire to get involved in academia and denied having strong ties to successful Haitian expats in the United States. Alexandre did ask the Acting DCM (Consul General) that his B1/B2 nonimmigrant visa be transferred to his tourist passport. Alexandre said the GOH had not yet accepted his resignation. He claimed to have no interest in politics because he "knows too well what Haiti needs." HERTELL