SOUTHCOM VISIT SUCCESSFULLY FOSTERS CLOSER

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARAMARIBO 000831 SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CAR LLUFTIG AND L/PM TMITCHELL AND MCOFFEE SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/20/2015 TAGS: MARR MASS PREL PGOV EAID NS SUBJECT: SOUTHCOM VISIT SUCCESSFULLY FOSTERS CLOSER RELATIONS REFS: (A) PARAMARIBO 811 (B) PARAMARIBO 790 (C) PARAMARIBO 828 ¶1. (U) Summary. General John Craddock, Combatant Commander of U.S. Southern Command, visited Suriname for six hours on December 16 and made office calls to President Ronald Venetiaan, Minister of Defense Ivan Fernald, and Commander of the Armed Forces Colonel Ernst Mercuur. He also had lunch with Minister of Justice and Police Chandrikapersad Santokhi. Topics included securing an Article 98 agreement, standing up a Surinamese Coast Guard, future training opportunities, and security issues. Overall, Government of Suriname (GOS) civilian and military officials were very pleased with the visit and stressed how much they value SOUTHCOM support. End Summary. ¶2. (C) In his meeting with General Craddock, President Venetiaan said that he understood the importance of Suriname signing an Article 98 agreement and that he intends to do so, but said politics is not always that easy. He emphasized that the ultimate approval authority lies not with himself but with the National Assembly, where admittedly his coalition holds a majority, albeit slim. He commented that while there are some obstacles to approval, he is confident that the obstacles can be overcome, but that the process may take time. (NOTE: A National Assembly member from President Venetiaan's own NPS party recently stated her opposition to Suriname's signing an Article 98 agreement. She is the second parliamentarian from the President's coalition to do so thus far. (See reftel A) END NOTE). Colonel Mercuur said that the military is very supportive of an Article 98 agreement, but can only do so much as it must follow the direction of the civilian government. ¶3. (C) President Venetian noted that he placed importance on the United States as a partner nation and looks forward to continued cooperation, especially on the military front. Ambassador Barnes expressed deep gratitude to the President for agreeing to realign the road in front of the Embassy in order to provide greater security setback, recognizing his leadership in making an unpopular decision. General Craddock told President Venetiaan that security is essential to attract investment in Suriname and that the best way for him to carry out his task of defending the U.S. is through regional cooperation with partner nations. ¶4. (SBU) In his discussions with General Craddock, Minister Fernald emphasized the importance he places on training, interagency cooperation to address security issues, and strengthening institutions through investing in human resources. Fernald also requested assistance in reaching his goal of improving relations between the military and civil society, which continue to be strained years after military rule of the 1980's ended. General Craddock proposed training opportunities at the U.S. Center for Civil-Military Relations. Fernald also asked for support to Suriname's military hospital, specifically hospital exchanges, exercises and training events. Ambassador Barnes pointed out that the director of the military hospital recently completed the U.S. Army Medical Command strategic leadership course while General Craddock mentioned providing Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs) on a regular basis. ¶5. (U) Both Colonel Mercuur and Minister Fernald mentioned their interest in standing up a Coast Guard and sought SOUTHCOM assistance. Colonel Mercuur noted that the Surinamese Navy does mostly Coast Guard operations at the moment. General Craddock offered to share U.S. experiences and best practices. Minister Fernald stated his intention to set up a working group in early 2006 composed of various Ministries that would have an interest in a Coast Guard. ¶6. (SBU) Colonel Mercuur expressed his concern that the military currently lacks proper training and resources required to carry out newly required policing missions in the interior and fulfill its border control and immigration obligations. General Craddock mentioned possibly sending military police teams to Suriname to conduct SMEEs and an interagency task force to assess security in Suriname's interior, similar to a project performed in the Dominican Republic. ¶7. (U) Recognizing the military's lack of material resources, Colonel Mercuur made a pitch for more. He emphasized his goal of properly training all Air Force pilots and making all aircraft operational, which requires a large quantity of replacement parts. He praised the DATT for working hard to procure these parts; General Craddock offered to make a push to expedite the process. In conversation with the Ambassador, Colonel Mercuur said the military is in need of uniforms, boots, and other material goods. The Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Kamperveen expressed interest in the State Partnership Program. ¶8. (U) During a luncheon, Minister Santokhi emphasized Suriname's lack of resources as being a major obstacle to stopping criminal activity. He stressed how a lack of air transportation, such as helicopters, impedes law enforcement's ability to act quickly upon receiving intelligence of narcotics' drops or landings. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Coming on the heels of Venetiaan's announcement of Suriname's intent to sign an Article 98 agreement (See reftels B and C),the General's visit focused action ministry and decision makers' attention on Article 98. The Embassy fielded information inquiries on issues like the compatibility of the agreement with the Rome Statutes and the American Service-members' Protection Act, sharpening the appreciation of what Suriname stands to lose if U.S. military cooperation falls by the way side. Barnes NNNN