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.

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COMMENT
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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


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