Monday, January 11, 2016

Ottawa, [Canada] interpellé pour son rôle dans l’exploitation minière en Haïti

8 janvier 2016 |Jean-François Nadeau | Actualités internationales


Apprenez-en plus sur Jean-François Nadeau. Le Devoir, le quotidien indépendant par excellence au Québec depuis 1910.

Un groupe d’experts en développement international considère que le Canada doit cesser d’orienter sa politique internationale et ses services diplomatiques en fonction de l’exploitation « des ressources minières à l’étranger en général et en Haïti en particulier ».

Combien peuvent valoir les ressources minières du sous-sol haïtien ? Au moins 20 milliards de dollars, estime un rapport publié hier par Concertation Haïti. Ce regroupement s’inquiète du rôle canadien dans l’exploitation abusive de ce pays. L’industrie minière en Haïti, enjeux et réalités montre du doigt un projet de déréglementation dont profiteraient les compagnies minières étrangères, au mépris du peuple haïtien.
 
 Photo: Hector Retamal Agence France-Presse Les mains d’un travailleur minier près de la capitale Port-au-Prince. Le Canada a financé 43% de la totalité des fonds mis à la disposition de l’instance haïtienne vouée à la modernisation de la loi minière d’Haïti entre 2009 et 2014.
 Six ans après le terrible séisme qui a aggravé la situation déjà précaire d’Haïti, le gouvernement haïtien compte sur la mise en valeur des ressources minières pour assurer son développement. Il a fait connaître ses intentions en la matière aux compagnies minières, tout en amorçant une mise à jour des modalités d’exploitation du sous-sol de l’île, observe Gerardo Ducos, un ancien responsable d’Haïti au sein d’Amnistie internationale, à qui avait été confiée la rédaction de l’étude.


La loi minière jusqu’ici en vigueur en Haïti date du temps de la dictature de Jean-Claude Duvalier. Le président actuel, Michel Martelly, arrivé au pouvoir en 2011, a mis en place des ententes bilatérales et de coopération en faveur de l’exploitation, tout en envisageant ces réformes avec l’assistance de la Banque mondiale. Le Canada a financé 43 % de la totalité des fonds mis à la disposition de l’instance haïtienne vouée à la « modernisation » de la loi minière d’Haïti entre 2009 et 2014.

En 2012, de nouveaux permis ont été accordés à des compagnies minières canadiennes et américaines. Mais les faits et gestes de ces compagnies ont vite été dénoncés par des intellectuels et des universitaires haïtiens, notamment en raison de l’absence de consultations locales comme d’évaluations des ressources autant que des conséquentes écologiques sur un territoire fragilisé.

En 2013, un petit groupe de sénateurs haïtiens a imposé un moratoire fragile sur les avancées rapides de l’exploitation minière en Haïti. Dans l’état actuel de la politique haïtienne, le dossier minier apparaît en suspens, bien qu’un simple décret puisse le relancer à grande vitesse.

Pour Andréanne Martel, du Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en développement international et société (CIRDIS), les modifications des codes miniers partout dans le monde vont dans le sens d’une libéralisation de plus en plus grande. Haïti est à inscrire dans ce paysage global transnational, qui fait une place de plus en plus belle aux minières, au détriment des intérêts locaux.

La transformation des politiques canadiennes d’aide internationale au profit d’actions vouées à la promotion d’intérêts financiers privés préoccupe aussi beaucoup Concertation pour Haïti. Cette nouvelle politique, adoptée récemment par le gouvernement de Stephen Harper, fait de l’« exploitation minière un enjeu central des rapports entre le Canada et Haïti ».

Selon Gerardo Ducos, l’Agence canadienne de développement international (ACDI) avait consacré en 2009-2010 environ deux millions à des« efforts consacrés aux mines et à leur développement ». En 2014, ce chiffre était grimpé à 26 millions. Ce signal ne trompe pas sur les nouvelles intentions du Canada, dit-il.

« À Port-au-Prince, l’ambassade du Canada attend à bras ouverts les compagnies minières afin de les aider. » Pour le groupe Concertation pour Haïti, la situation dans ce pays durement éprouvé réclame davantage d’attentions d’un tout autre type, notamment en faveur de l’éducation, de la production alimentaire et de la consolidation de la structure étatique et des droits de l’homme.

Eau potable

Nixon Boumba, coordonnateur du collectif Justice Mine en Haïti, explique pour sa part que les projets miniers, concentrés dans le nord du pays, des lieux très pauvres, mettent en péril des ressources en eau potable déjà très fragiles. « L’information n’est pas communiquée à la population », observe sur le terrain le sociologue Boumba. De plus, les mesures mises en place pour préserver l’environnement sont, pour ainsi dire, inexistantes,« alors que le pays est déjà plus que fragile, notamment à cause de la déforestation ».

Le regroupement Concertation pour Haïti entend saisir dès que possible le nouveau gouvernement canadien de ces enjeux. Sous le règne des conservateurs, l’ACDI a été fusionnée avec le ministère des Affaires étrangères. La plateforme du Parti libéral du Canada en matière d’aide internationale n’a pas fait l’objet de discussions importantes durant la dernière campagne électorale. Pour l’instant, la politique mise en place sous les conservateurs continue donc de s’appliquer. Il n’a pas été possible hier d’obtenir des commentaires d’Ottawa à ce propos.


Sunday, January 10, 2016

SAUDI OIL REFINERY IN HAITI? THIS WAS DISCUSSED IN CLINTON EMAILS

And Kenneth Merten Knew About it, It Seems

UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2014-20439 Doc No. C05781003 Date: 12/31/2015
RELEASE IN PART
From:
Mills, Cheryl D <MillsCD@state.gov>
Sent:
To:
Wednesday, June 15, 2011 9:02 AM
SubJect:
Fw: Saudi Oil Refinery in Haiti
Classified by DAS, A/GIS, DoS on 12/31/2015 - Class:
CONFIDENTIAL Reason: 1.4(D) - Declassify on: 06/13/2026
Do you know anything about this?
From: Lucas, Laura D
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 08:41 AM
To: Mills, Cheryl D; S_SpeclalAsslstants   
Cc: Mull, Stephen D; Jacobson, Roberta S; Dibble, Elizabeth L
Subject: RE: Saudi Oil Refinery In Haiti
We'll do some digging and get back to you.
From: Mills, Cheryl D sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 8:27 AM To: S_SpeclalAsslstants
Cc: Mull, Stephen D; Jacobson, Roberta S; Dibble, Elizabeth L; Mills, Cheryl D Subject: Fw: Saudi Oil Refinery in Haiti

    
                                                                                                                                                                1 .4(D)


I am trying to find out what if any info we have re this part of the representations b/l (see orig messg):
Thx
Cdrn
From: Mills, Cheryl D
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 08:22 AM
To: Adams, Thomas C
Cc: Laszczych, Joanne; Warnholz, Jean-Louis; Krishnan, Ganapathisubramanian; Toiv, Nora F; Marsh, Victor L; Merten, Kenneth H; Foote, Daniel L; Groth, Gregory S; Kazemi, Shamim; Mills, Cheryl D Subject: Re: Saudi Oil Refinery' in Haiti
Sure
We can meet - I have not heard of this get the specials to pull.

Joanne can give a time. I want jlw to join the two of us when we meet w/ him.
Thx
Cdm
From: Adams, Thomas C
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 12:31 PM
To: Mills, Cheryl D
Cc: Laszczych, Joanne; Warnholz, Jean-Louis; Krishnan, Ganapathisubramanian; Toiv, Nora F; Marsh, Victor L; Merten,
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2014-20439 Doc No. C05781003 Date: 12/31/2015 UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2014-20439 Doc No. C05781003 Date: 12/31/2015
Kenneth H; Foote, Daniel L; Groth, Gregory S; Kazemi, Shamim Subject: Saudi Oil Refinery in Haiti
Cheryl,        
1 .4(D) I took a call around noon from Dieuseul Valcin who asked that I schedule a meeting with him, you, and me this Friday afternoon to talk about a $30-$35 billion dollar oil refinery that the Saudis want to build in Haiti tos Nice the U.S. market. He said he re resents a French Com an involved in this


PEG, SA.


Valcin said he was of Haitian Origin, did not work for PEG, SA, but was helping them with this refinery project.
Krish found the attached link on Google, citing PEG SRS man in Haiti, Marc Antoine Destin (an apparent Haitian Presidential candidate in 2005) :

http://www.facebook.com/_topic.php?uid=124361237591258&topic=565

I told Mr. Valcin that I would get back to him. Do you know anything abOUt this, want to meet with this guy or should I offer to meet with him alone? If any addressees know anything about this, please let me know.
Tom

UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2014-20439 Doc No. C05781003 Date: 12/31/2015

Let my people go!

Commentary: Haiti 1806, 1986, 2016: Let my people go! Let my people go!
Published on January 9, 2016

By Jean H Charles

Haiti, after its magnificent epic day of January 1, 1804, when it declared for itself and for the rest of the world that slavery is anathema to God’s mission for man on earth, fell from its pedestal of light for the world on October 17, 1806. It conspired to assassinate its founder father Jean Jacques Dessalines because he asked whether some of these 8,000 farm plantations left by the French settlers should not be shared with those African sons and daughters now citizens of Haiti with no lineage from France, who toiled with their sweat and their labour without wages for 300 years?

charles.jpg
Jean H Charles LLB, MSW, JD, was a candidate in the last Haitian presidential election. He can be reached atjeanhcharles@aol.com and followed at Caribbean News Now/Haiti 
Albeit there was later the heroic mantra of Henry Christophe who built the Citadel on top of a mountain to prevent the return of the French troops and forged a nation with British help; Haiti descended into hell by capitulating in 1825 to King Charles X of France in paying a mafia deal to have its freedom recognized by the rest of the world, albeit it was earned on the battle field.

It sinks further down with a successive form of governments more interested in keeping power and making deals with foreign powers to keep the population ignorant so its natural resources and its human resources would be used not for the benefit of the citizens of the country but for outside nations.

Of course there were luminaries like Antenor Firmin and Demesvar Delorme, who argued for the equality of human race; there was also Jean Price Mars who instilled the concept that black is beautiful and as such worthy of love, expectation and spiritual as well as material nourishment as a white person. Haiti fell so low that it had to endure the American occupation for 15 years from 1915 to 1934 that brought no solace to its ordeal.

It went through a long period of dictatorship that lasted more than 30 years, with its children exiling themselves all over the world to escape political persecution. Upon ushering in democracy in 1986, Haiti continues its descent into hell, with populist and illiberal governments that care little for its population. The last one, the regime of Michel Joseph Michel Martelly, was supposed to break completely with the past, considering his disgust for the old regimes and the passion of the population to give him the reins of command because of his iconoclast style.

The condition of the people of Haiti has not improved one bit. It continues to suffer humiliation from Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, where the most fragile members from the rural areas have taken refuge in search of a hospitable sky. The life of the internal nomads in the ghettos of the capital and the big cities continue unabated in squalor and in governmental indifference or demagogic caring.

The Martelly government has not been diligent enough to schedule regular elections at the local and legislative levels during his term in office. The presidential election at the end of his mandate is marred with irregularities, plain fraud and arrogant use of public funds and outright interference on behalf of his candidates, in particular the presidential candidate Jovenel Moise.

There has been mass movement to say enough is enough. The international community is standing on the opposite side, as in 1804 when they put an interdiction against the young Haiti to dare break the chain of the world order of slavery; as in 1986 when it supported the Duvalier dictatorship for decades up to the last minute until people power put the presidential couple out of the country.

At the dawn of 2016, the legitimate cry is to shout, “Let my people go!” Let them enjoy the fruits of nation building and the fruits of democracy. Haiti, as usual, is today in the pioneering mode of breaking the mold of faux democracy. This faux democracy has been entertained by the so-called United Nations Stabilization Force and the Core group pretending it is a democracy.

This last election represents a vivid example of the political charade of Madame la Marquise in Haiti. The vignette of democracy in Haiti casts the following picture: a mass that demands to be paid to vote for a candidate at $25 per vote because that’s all the benefits he will receive afterwards from the elected ones.

The candidates that believe they can win only by filling the ballot box. The electoral council (CEP), arrogant and corrupt, sells the certificate of winning to the one who offers most money. The government, arrogant and bold, appropriates state funds for its candidates, and the middle class that finds it abhorrent to stand in line with the masses to accomplish a civic duty.

Using the lowest common denominator of evaluation, the 28 years of Haiti’s apprenticeship to democracy under the aegis of the MINUSTHA stabilization force is an utter failure and a pure charade. It is time for Haiti to start de novo on its own a project of remedial learning to democracy. It cannot be done through the elections. We have made the case that the process is at best flawed; at worst corrupt at all levels.

The best Haitian minds at home and in the Diaspora must be pulled together, starting with all the 54 candidates regrouped into G8 and G30 formation to build a transitional government that will put Haiti in the right orbit before it can fly under a normal electoral process towards democracy. As a student that needs remedial learning to achieve, we cannot pretend that Haiti is pursuing a normal traction towards full democracy.

The Core group (United States, European Union, CARICOM and OAS) must not stand in the way preventing this natural birthing. A caesarian operation will be costly, harmful and detrimental to Haiti, to the region and to the rest of the world, with refugees flooding the region as is now the picture in the Mediterranean towards Europe.

This transition year of 2016 represents a seminal moment to bring about true change for Haiti, change that will instill the sentiment of appurtenance and citizenship within all the sectors, change that will build all over the country: sane institutions and excellent infrastructure to prevent the internal and external nomad process of the population. Change that will promote an affirmative action program on behalf of rural and ghetto Haiti to usher them into the middle class status and change that will propel Haiti to its divine mission of emancipator nation.

It is not normal and not fair that a country so rich in human and natural resources, with such a glorious past and a grand vision, stands so low in human index of development. Of its ten million population, approximately eight million are either unemployed or underemployed (selling water, used clothing and cooked food on the side of the road); one million are of school age; half a million are senior citizens and only half a million (300,000 in the capital Port au Prince and 200,000 in the rest of the country) enjoy the ecstasy of middle class or well off status.

A massive culture of wealth creation must become the fabric of this country. The combined cocktail of failed governments blended with a supportive international core group must yield to an enlighten government incubated by a progressive international community that believes a good nation produces good citizens, leading to peace and prosperity at home and abroad.

Let my people go! Let my people go, away from misery, from squalor and humiliation! Let my people go away from the tribulations of preferring to take a chance amidst the sharks on the sea than staying at home. Their cries have reached the ear of Providence, and the dead spirit of the founding fathers! Holding them further down might bring the seven calamities unto their holder as it has been with the Pharaoh!