Tuesday, October 12, 2021, Uzra Zeya, the US Under Secretary of State for Emergency Preparedness arrived in Haiti to meet with several senior officials including Acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry

Without wasting time, she spoke to Liszt Quitel, the a.i. Minister of Justice and Public Security. The discussions, which took place at the Minister's office in an atmosphere of reciprocal cordiality, focused on cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the area of ​​Justice and Security.

At the end of this meeting she declared on the official twitter account "Pleased to meet Haiti's new Acting Minister of Justice Liszt Quitel. Department of State looks forward to working to support rights-respecting Haitian law enforcement & we were pleased to recently commit another $15 million to help reduce gang violence & improve corrections infrastructure."

The same day, Uzra Zeya, visited the Police Academy in Frères, where she reiterated the determination of the United States to strengthen the institutional capacities of the National Police of Haiti (PNH). Director General Ad Interim Léon Charles to reaffirm the State Department's continued support for strengthening police, public confidence, intelligence, and law enforcement capacity. Dismantling gangs that exercise violence is vital for Haiti’s stability and citizen security."

Tuesday afternoon, the Undersecretary met Prime Minister Ariel a.i. Henry at his official residence. The Head of Government reiterated his appeal for emergency aid from the US Government for the National Police in the fight against insecurity, banditry and crime. The reintegration program for our migrants, as well as the reintegration of young people from working-class neighborhoods, plagued by gangsterism, were also on the menu of discussions.

The Prime Minister renewed his commitment to "the organization of free, honest, democratic, transparent and non-partisan elections in 2022", while reiterating his request for mutual legal assistance, as part of the investigation into the assassination by President Jovenel Moïse.

The Under-Secretary of State, Uzra Zeya, wished to convey to the Prime Minister the appreciations of the American Government regarding the efforts made by his Administration with a view to the continuation of the inclusive political dialogue in the perspective of a negotiated exit from the crisis. At the end of the meeting Uzra Zeya thanked Prime Minister Ariel Henry for "for this vital discussion on the safe and humane repatriation of Haitians, inclusive dialogue with civil society and political actors that leads to free and fair elections, COVID-19 prevention, and accountability for President Moïse’s assassination."

SL/ HaitiLibre