http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2007/01/07PORTAUPRINCE78.html
18 January 2007
WikiLeaks: DOS: Haiti Charge d'Affairs Tighe to Washington
VZCZCXRO1525
PP RUEHQU
DE RUEHPU #0078/01 0181359
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 181359Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5088
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 1382
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 1209
RUEHQU/AMCONSUL QUEBEC PRIORITY 0691
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000078
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/CAR
WHA/EPSC FOR FAITH CORNEILLE, ED MARTINEZ
EB/IFD
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR LAC/CAR
TREASURY FOR JEFFREY LEVINE
COMMERCE FOR SCOTT SMITH
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/18/2017
TAGS: ENRG EPET ECON EAID HA
SUBJECT: GOH ON PETROCARIBE: STOKING THE FIRES
REF: A. 06 PORT AU PRINCE 1618
B. PORT AU PRINCE 55
C. 06 PORT AU PRINCE 846
D. 06 PORT AU PRINCE 2418
E. 06 PORT AU PRINCE 1905
F. 06 PORT AU PRINCE 1960
PORT AU PR 00000078 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Thomas C. Tighe for reasons 1.4 (b) an
d (d).
1. (C) Summary: Michel Lecorps, the newly-appointed head of
the independent monetization office (formally known as the
PL-480 office), met with Poloff January 10 to discuss
Petrocaribe implementation in Haiti. Lecorps, apparently
infuriated by Chevron's lack of cooperation with the GoH,
stressed that Petrocaribe is no longer negotiable; it has
been ratified by parliament (ref A) and the GoH is working to
implement the agreement early this year. Chevron country
manager Patryck Peru Dumesnil confirmed his company's
anti-Petrocaribe position and said that ExxonMobil, the only
other U.S. oil company operating in Haiti, has told the GoH
that it will not import Petrocaribe products. Lecorps and
separately, President Preval's economic advisor, Gabriel
Verret, outlined problems Haiti was likely to have with the
agreement, such as the usage of a national company (like
Jamaica's national refinery, Petrojam) to control Petrocaribe
Verret speculated that Venezuela (BRV) wanted its
beneficiary countries to have a national company so that the
BRV could eventually buy into it, as it reportedly plans to
do with Petrojam. Verret also discussed lessons he and
Lecorps learned in Jamaica January 3 -7 (ref B), notably that
it is important to separate the "commercial from the
political" aspects of the Petrocaribe plan. End summary.
2. (U) Lecorps said the GoH struggled to find a home office
for Petrocaribe At the BRV's suggestion, the GoH tried to
shift the responsibility to the national electricity company
(EDH, ref C) to meet the agreement's initial requirements.
Lecorps said that the GoH would like to run Petrocaribe
through a national company, but, without a suitable one or
the capacity to create one, the GoH gave Lecorps' office the
Petrocaribe program. Haiti and Venezuela have not agreed
upon the specifics of the Petrocaribe plan, but Lecorps said
that Venezuela will most likely accept Haiti's plan to
control Petrocaribe through his office.
Chevron says "No" to Petrocaribe
- - - - - - - - - -
3. (C) Lecorps said that the GoH solicited the input and
participation of the four oil companies operating in Haiti --
Chevron (operates as Texaco), ExxonMobil (operates as Esso),
Total and Dynasa -- but that "one company" refused to move
forward with the discussions because "their representatives
would rather import their own petroleum products." (Note: In
a separate meeting with the Ambassador, Chevron
representatives outlined the problems posed by Petrocaribe
(ref D). Poloff later confirmed with Chevron's country
manager Patryck Peru Dumesnil that Chevron is the company to
which Lecorps referred, but Dumesnil said that ExxonMobil has
made it clear that it will not cooperate with the current GoH
proposal either. Post is uncertain why Lecorps mentioned
Chevron as the only company not cooperating. End note.)
Lecorps was enraged that "an oil company which controls only
30 percent of Haiti's petroleum products" would have the
audacity to try and elude an agreement that would benefit the
Haitian population. Ultimately Lecorps defended his position
with the argument that the companies should want what is best
for their local consumer, and be willing to make concessions
to the GoH to this end. Lecorps stressed that the GoH would
not be held hostage to "capitalist attitudes" toward
Petrocaribe and that if the GoH could not find a compromise
with certain oil companies, the companies may have to leave
Haiti.
4. (C) Verret confirmed that Chevron is not buying into the
agreement (but said nothing about ExxonMobil), and thought
that perhaps the GoH could work out a deal, whereby Chevron
imports its petroleum from an independent source while
PORT AU PR 00000078 002.2 OF 002
maintaining its shared shipment with the other oil companies.
(Note: Currently, Chevron manages the shipping for the four
oil companies, which share a tanker to import one petroleum
shipment every two to three weeks. Total oil demand in Haiti
is around 11,000 barrels per day. With the limited storage
available in Haiti, the companies could not afford to ship
separately to Haiti. End note.)
5. (C) According to Dumesnil, ExxonMobil and Chevron have
told the GoH that neither company can work within the GoH's
proposed framework to import 100 percent of petroleum
products via Petrocaribe (ref E and F). (Note: Together,
ExxonMobil and Chevron supply 49 percent of all oil products
in Haiti. End note.) Of the four companies, Dumesnil said,
there are three levels of discussion with the GoH: the U.S.
companies stand together in opposition to the current
proposal; Total is discussing the agreement but has not
promised cooperation; and the only local company, Dynasa, has
pledged cooperation. Dumesnil said that the GoH is moving
too quickly with the agreement, that it has not presented a
written plan, and most importantly, does not have full
industry cooperation.
Lack of Storage, No Refinery Limits Haiti's Leverage
- - - - - - - - - -
6. (C) Lecorps outlined some obstacles the GoH faces with
implementation, the greatest being the lack of storage space
in Haiti. Recalling the run on fuel at the pump for two days
in late November and again in late December, Lecorps said
that one of the biggest challenges will be ensuring
consistent shipments, because Haiti does not have the
capacity to store reserves. Lecorps also admitted that the
GoH had very little knowledge of industry operations in Haiti
and that it would need industry cooperation for the know-how,
as much as for the infrastructure.
7. (C) Verret told Poloff that Haiti would like to model
Jamaica's shipping agreement with Venezuela, which stipulates
that Jamaica can choose whether to have the petroleum shipped
by Venezuela or an independent carrier. According to Verret,
Jamaican officials told the Haitians that 90 percent of the
time Jamaica imports its own crude oil, because "shipping is
not BRV's forte." Verret said that Haiti will seek a "free
on board (FOB) plus" agreement by which Venezuela will take
care of the shipping unless Haiti finds a better deal.
Verret noted, however, that though this works in Jamaica,
Haiti does not have Jamaica's advantages of extra storage
space and a national refinery, which means regular and timely
shipments of refined fuel are necessary (Haiti can not order
in advance or wait for good deals).
8. (C) Comment: Both Lecorps and Verret, like other Haitian
officials on Petrocaribe focused primarily on the cost
benefits (estimated to be USD 100 million per year) to the
GoH, which would be used for social projects like schools and
hospitals, per Verret. However, Lecorps' self-control
wavered while discussing industry cooperation and other
modalities of implementation. He seemed overwhelmed by --
yet extremely proud of -- his new responsibility, and was
incapable of addressing minor complications. Often, instead
of addressing the specifics, Lecorps reiterated that
Petrocaribe will work for Haiti, be well-run, and create
enormous benefits for the country: but his insistence was
such that he seemed to be trying to convince himself as much
as anyone else. End comment.
TIGHE