UNCLAS KINGSTON 000806

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAR (WBENT) AND NP/CBM
SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD AND J7 (RHANNAN)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL MNUC KSCA ETTC TSPA JM MTCRE
SUBJECT: HCOC DEMARCHE - JAMAICA

REF: STATE 31427


1. (SBU) On March 14, Pol/Econ Chief conveyed reftel talking
points to Shorna-Kay Richards, of the International
Organizations Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Foreign Trade (MFAFT), leaving talking points as a non-paper.
Richards carefully reviewed the points, as well as The Hague
Code of Conduct (HCOC) text distributed by the Dutch
government at the 2002 launching conference, the sample Note
Verbale, and the list of Subscribing States. Focusing on the
latter document, she noted the dearth of fellow Caricom
states (other than Suriname and Guyana) it contained while
expressing satisfaction at the number of Latin American
subscribing states.


2. (SBU) Richards agreed to provide a more considered
response once her superiors had reviewed the documents. She
spoke favorably of HCOC in general terms, but indicated that
it would not be a priority for the GOJ given its limited
resources and competing priorities.
TIGHE