S/PV.5164 Security Council

In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council’s prior consultations, I shall take it that the Security Council agrees to extend an invitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules of procedure to Mr. Ronaldo Mota Sardenberg, head of the Security Council mission to Haiti. It is so decided. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. I should like to welcome the return of the members of the Council and the Secretariat who took part in the mission to Haiti. I now call on Mr. Ronaldo Mota Sardenberg, head of the Security Council mission to Haiti. Mr. Sardenberg: The mission of the Security Council visited Haiti from 13 to 16 April in conjunction with a visit by the Economic and Social Council’s Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti. The mission and the Group acted in accordance with their respective mandates. Some of their meetings in Haiti were held in common. I take this opportunity to thank the Haitian authorities for their hospitality and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Juan Gabriel Valdés, and his team for their support. In the same vein, I wish to commend the leadership and personnel of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) for the excellent and professional work they are performing, frequently under very trying conditions. The visit by the Security Council mission, which I had the privilege to lead, was the first of that type to a Latin American or a Caribbean country. The decision to make it was adopted in the course of the open debate on Haiti, promoted by the delegation of Argentina during its presidency last January. Indeed, the further decision to implement the first decision was proposed by the delegations of Argentina and Brazil. The activities of the mission benefited from a high degree of participation, as all 15 Council members were represented. Fourteen ambassadors were present, of whom 10 were Permanent Representatives, including the President of the Security Council himself. That attendance constituted a clear sign of the concern of the Council over the current crisis in Haiti and the need both for immediate action and for long- term solutions to Haiti’s many problems. The Council mission met with the members of the Transitional Government, including Interim President Boniface Alexandre and Interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue, as well as with representatives of the main political parties and of civil society. In addition to its stay in Port-au-Prince, the mission visited the cities of Gonaïves and Cap Haïtien. It also met with MINUSTAH leaders, including the Force Commander and the Civilian Police Commissioner. Members of the mission interacted with various Haitian actors and collected updated information regarding central aspects of the present situation in the country. In four different areas — the creation of a safe and secure environment; dialogue, elections and reconciliation; the observance of human rights; and social and economic development — the exchange of views was quite constructive and particularly useful. Despite the tragic losses of four peacekeepers to date — one of which was of an accidental nature — the mission assessed the Haitian security situation as gradually improving, as compared to the second half of 2004. Since the deployment of most of its military and police forces last December, MINUSTAH has, in conformity with the mandate given by resolution 1542 (2004), conducted several successful security operations in various parts of the country, including the neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince. Recently, MINUSTAH’s police and military forces have been able to improve coordination with the Haitian National Police (HNP). It is recognized that, as foreseen in its mandate, one of MINUSTAH’s main roles is that of assisting the Transitional Government, including HNP, in their tasks relating to the creation of a secure and stable environment. Notwithstanding all the progress made, the security situation in Haiti remains fragile and there have been discussions on possible additional measures to assist the Transitional Government in the constitutional and political process now taking place in Haiti. Mission members condemned all violence and called on the Haitian authorities to implement a comprehensive disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme to disarm all illegal armed groups, with the assistance of MINUSTAH. Reintegration is a crucial aspect of that problem. In that connection, it was deemed necessary to provide a concrete response to the social demands of members of the former military with a view to reintegrating them into the formal economy as an essential element in the promotion of peace and stability in the country. Mission members are of the opinion that the nationwide dialogue has become an important tool for fostering a common understanding on critical themes relating to the future of the Haitian political and social processes. The Transitional Government, as well as representatives of civil society and political forces, have indicated their intention to participate in the comprehensive and inclusive dialogue and recognize that such a dialogue is an essential condition for long- term stability in the country. The mission heard representatives of the main political parties, including Lavalas. Most of them pointed out that all actors who publicly renounce violence should be neither excluded from the national dialogue nor prevented from participating in the electoral processes. In turn, the Archbishop of Cap Haïtien delivered to mission members a letter from the Conférence Episcopale de Haïti that calls for a peaceful transition towards democracy, as well as for social and economic development. On the coming elections, the main message from the members of the mission was that of encouraging the Transitional Government to persist in its firm commitment to holding free, honest and transparent elections in 2005, in accordance with the established timetable, and in its intention to hand over power to the new, democratically elected authorities on 7 February 2006. The mission also encouraged the Haitian people to mobilize and participate fully in the upcoming elections, and just started to consider the possibility of international observers being sent to follow the electoral process. It was frequently mentioned throughout the conversations held by the mission that the holding of elections in accordance with the established calendar constitutes an essential step towards building democracy and political legitimacy in Haiti. Mission members and their interlocutors alike showed a clear awareness that many long-term structural problems will persist in Haiti even after the newly elected authorities take office, but they were confident that the new political climate would significantly facilitate the resolution of those problems. Mission members conveyed to the Transitional Government the message that respect for human rights standards contributes to reinforcing stability and security. They expressed the opinion that all actors should abide by internationally accepted human rights standards and that HNP should be reformed. It was also pointed out that there is a need to ensure the end of impunity in Haiti while promoting due process and the rule of law, particularly through strengthening the judicial system. In turn, the Transitional Government called for increased international support with a view to implementing reforms conducive to a credible, accountable and respected police force in Haiti. The Interim President himself underlined the need to update Haitian codes and legislation, which date back to the nineteenth century. Finally, as Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated in his latest report on Haiti, it is necessary to encourage the efforts to expedite pending sensitive cases, such as that of former Prime Minister Ivon Neptune, and to ensure due process for all citizens. Dramatic poverty conditions were recognized as the main root cause of conflict and political unrest in the country. The Haitian interlocutors and the members of the Council mission alike stressed the need for a long-term strategy to promote development and combat poverty. In that regard, mission members renewed the Security Council’s appeal for the accelerated disbursement of the funds pledged by international financial institutions and donor countries since the holding of the International Donors Conference on Haiti in July of last year. The mission members also recalled that many of the projects identified at the conference held recently at Cayenne should now be implemented without delay. The Interim Prime Minister pointed out the need to ensure that cooperation projects conform to the needs identified by Haitians themselves, and not only the priorities adopted by donors and international financial institutions. According to him, it is imperative to address the country’s infrastructure — especially roads and the energy sector — as well as to combat deforestation and environmental degradation. Mission members reiterated their intention to fully respect Haitian sovereignty, to contribute to the achievement of stabilization and development, and to ensure a long-term United Nations presence in Haiti. They believe that, as the United Nations assists Haiti, it should preserve the fundamental role played by Haiti’s people and Government. Elections will usher in a new and more promising phase in the country’s political history. Haitian representatives to be elected later this year should be prepared to seize this unique opportunity and to carry out all State responsibilities that naturally belong to the citizens of a nation such as Haiti, which is proud of its sovereignty, history and culture. New ideas were presented by our interlocutors and by MINUSTAH leaders and personnel, to whom I would like to reiterate our appreciation for the quality of their work on the ground. The draft mission report is now being finalized and will be discussed among Council members. It will contain a detailed description of the mission’s activities and findings in the areas of security, political transition, elections, human rights, development, the humanitarian situation, institution-building, regional relations and the organization of MINUSTAH. It will not be a short report. It will also contain recommendations addressed to the Interim Government and to MINUSTAH. We are now considering the possibility of calling for a debate on the question of Haiti after the report is finalized and presented, with a view to collecting additional opinions from Member States concerning the renewal of MINUSTAH’s mandate.

I thank Ambassador Sardenberg for his briefing. On behalf of the Council, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to all the members of the Security Council mission, which was very ably led by Ambassador Sardenberg, for the manner in which they carried out their important responsibility on behalf of the Council. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.