C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 000216

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/11/2016

TAGS: PREL, PGOV, KDEM, FR, HA

SUBJECT: FRENCH CONCERNED WITH DUVALIER PASSPORT ISSUANCE

REF: STATE 3121

Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, reasons

1.4 (b) and (d).

1. (C) Deputy PolCouns delivered reftel demarche January 12

to DAS-equivalent for Mexico, Central America, and the

Caribbean Pierre-Alain Coffinier, who said that the French

Embassy in Washington had also appraised him of the issue.

He stated that the GoF understood and shared our "political"

concern that Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier might use a

diplomatic passport to return to Haiti.

2. (C) Coffinier indicated that he had contacted the

Interior Ministry and was convinced Jean-Claude Duvalier does

not have legal status in France. Although the GoF was

exploring options for preventing Baby Doc from traveling, it

would be difficult to do so in practice if he was in

possession of a valid passport, which Coffinier assumed would

be provided by the Haitian Embassy in Paris. Another issue,

he noted, was that the GoF does not normally prevent

foreigners from leaving the country, particularly ones that

might be present illegally.

3. (C) Coffinier underlined that the GoF was concerned about

the situation, but did not have any immediate solutions to

keep him from leaving; the MFA is working with the Interior

Ministry to come up with a coordinated response.

4. (C) Deputy PolCouns noted that the simplest solution

would be for the GoF to help convince the IGoH not to issue

the passport. Coffinier said that the GoF had not approached

the IGoH on the subject. He called this "a new element" that

he would take into account in GoF thinking.

Please visit Paris´ Classified Website at:

http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm

Stapleton