ST. LUCIA'S DISCONNECTED PRIME MINISTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 001542 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR WHA/CAR AND WHA/PAS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/31/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC SNAR KPAO PINR UNGA ST XL SUBJECT: ST. LUCIA'S DISCONNECTED PRIME MINISTER REF: A. BRIDGETOWN 1538 ¶B. BRIDGETOWN 1216 ¶C. BRIDGETOWN 1215 Classified By: Ambassador Mary Kramer for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Ambassador Kramer and MLO Aboyagye traveled to St. Lucia August 3 to dedicate two SOUTHCOM-constructed projects and meet informally with St. Lucia Prime Minister Anthony. While both ceremonies created positive public impressions of U.S.-St. Lucia cooperation, Ambassador Kramer concluded that PM Anthony is considerably less committed to and less capable of managing St. Lucia's diplomatic and security responsibilities than he claims. He professed unawareness that St. Lucia had delayed signing an Article 98 agreement, as well as ignorance of his government's unresponsiveness to repeated USG efforts to focus St. Lucia officials on bilateral cooperation or even to return phone calls. Abandoning his earlier banana-related rationale for rejecting Guatemala's candidacy for the upcoming UNSC election, Anthony also highlighted the "vulnerability" of small states as a reason to support Venezuela. A former professor, PM Anthony seems more interested in pontificating on what others should be doing in the international arena than in becoming a responsible leader at home, in the region, or globally. End Summary. -------------- BARRACKS TO BOOST COUNTERNARCOTICS CAPABILITY -------------- ¶2. (C) On August 3 St. Lucia Prime Minister Kenny Anthony and Ambassador Kramer dedicated two USG-provided facilities in St. Lucia. With SOUTHCOM funding of USD 1.2 million, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and reservists had constructed a combined barracks for St. Lucia Special Forces and Maritime units at Vieux Fort. The facility is strategically located at the southern tip of St. Lucia (also within the PM's home constituency). The modern barracks position the newly combined Special Forces and Maritime units to provide the region's first line of defense against mainland South American drug traffickers as neighbors Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are unable to offer any significant deterrent. -------------- HEADQUARTERS FOR DISASTER MANAGERS -------------- ¶3. (SBU) SOUTHCOM also funded construction of a headquarters building and warehouse for St. Lucia's National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) in Vigie, near the capital, Castries. The dedication of the NEMO building at which the Ambassador and PM Anthony officiated served primarily to assemble and recognize the many community disaster relief volunteers from around the island on whom the organization depends. PM Anthony was in full campaign mode for both dedication ceremonies; his remarks were flattering and appreciative of U.S. contributions. Both events were fully covered by local media. -------------- BILATERAL BLUES -------------- ¶4. (U) PM Anthony hosted Ambassador Kramer at an informal luncheon on August 3 between the dedication ceremonies for the two U.S.-funded construction projects. The Prime Minister's Cabinet Secretary and Deputy Director of NEMO, Dr. James Fletcher, Minister of Tourism Phillip J. Pierre, Embassy MLO Aboagye, and PAO O'Reagan were also present. ¶5. (C) As PM Anthony appeared to have no planned agenda for the session, Ambassador Kramer made clear that the facilities inaugurated that day were provided with the understanding that St. Lucia would sign an Article 98 Agreement; it had not yet done so. In order for the USG to be able to offer emergency security assistance during the upcoming 2007 Cricket World Cup (CWC) events, it was also important for St. Lucia to sign a Caribbean Regional Maritime Agreement (CRMA) and renew its Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). ¶6. (C) The Ambassador also noted the recurring difficulty of USG officials in reaching the PM and senior members of his administration or in having calls returned. She explained that this lack of responsiveness has delayed the Article 98 process and other security cooperation efforts. ¶7. (C) PM Anthony professed surprise that there had been any delay in the Article 98 process, claimed ignorance of any messages from American officials that had not been answered, and generally directed responsibility for any difficulties in the bilateral relationship to others. He sloughed off his government's inaction on signing the Article 98 Agreement by saying that he thought it "had been taken care of." -------------- --- "PRINCIPLED STANDS" VS. INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT -------------- --- ¶8. (C) Comfortably shifting back into his former professorial role, PM Anthony lectured the American delegation on the perils of globalization, providing a critique on the U.S. role in global affairs. He disapprovingly discussed the USG response to the recent Middle East hostilities and subsequently explained CARICOM members' support of Venezuela over Guatemala for the UN Security Council seat as the action of small countries that were "vulnerable." (Comment: Presumably to the danger of displeasing petroleum-rich Venezuela. End Comment.) He made no reference to banana-related resentment of Guatemala as he had in an earlier exchange (Ref C). ¶9. (C) Ambassador Kramer challenged the PM's assertion that the CARICOM countries were taking a "principled stand" on the UNSC election or other international issues on which Anthony held forth. She suggested that countries that wish to be considered seriously in the international arena should consider the long-term, global consequences of such decisions. The Ambassador further recommended that the CARICOM states could play a much greater role in world affairs by contributing to international peacekeeping efforts in Haiti, for example, or as part of the "coalition of the willing" to provide security support for addressing conflicts in other parts of the world. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶10. (C) Despite the positive mood of the day's events, post considers PM Anthony an unreliable partner whose commitment to security responsibilities consists of self-congratulation and cosmetic solutions such as replacing local police commanders with British police officers (Ref A),without insuring the logistical or political support the law enforcement personnel need. Post's interagency Law Enforcement Working Group believes that St. Lucia's security forces are actually one of the better performing groups in the eastern Caribbean. The forces' effectiveness could benefit, however, from the replacement of several individuals in leadership positions. The Prime Minister has not seen fit to make those changes. ¶11. (C) As in the matter of the delayed Article 98 signature, PM Anthony refuses to take responsibility for realizing security commitments while declining to delegate or relinquish the authority needed to meet them. In observing his interaction with his own citizenry throughout the day, Ambassador Kramer concluded that PM Anthony is not interested in acting locally or leading globally; his sole focus seems to be on maintaining his position rather than providing a vision for St. Lucia's future. KRAMER