BARBADOS AND CUBA - LIBERTAD ACT REVIEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000746 SIPDIS SIPDIS OTTAWA FOR ECON SECTION SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2016 TAGS: ETRD ETTC PREL CU BB XL SUBJECT: BARBADOS AND CUBA - LIBERTAD ACT REVIEW REF: A. SECSTATE 57782 ¶B. BRIDGETOWN 637 ¶C. 05 BRIDGETOWN 2446 ¶D. 05 BRIDGETOWN 1954 ¶E. 04 BRIDGETOWN 2747 Classified By: DCM Mary Ellen T. Gilroy for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) (C) The five questions in Ref A are answered below, in a Q and A format. -------------- Investments -------------- Q1 - What is the nature of investments (and names, if known) that host country businesses have in Cuba? A1 - The Canadian energy company Sherritt (www.sherritt.com) has set up two offshore companies in Barbados that it likely uses as a platform for investments in Cuba (Ref E). The significant tax savings Canadian companies enjoy in Barbados, coupled with Barbados' tax and investment treaties with Cuba, mean there may be other Canadian companies using offshore subsidiaries in Barbados to enter the Cuban market. -------------- Trade Agreements -------------- Q2 - Are there any bilateral trade agreements between host country and Cuba? A2 - Yes. Barbados has active bilateral tax and investment treaties with Cuba. In addition, CARICOM has a trade agreement with Cuba that Barbados recently ratified in parliament (Ref B, para. 13). -------------- Exchange Programs -------------- Q3 - Are there any exchange programs between host country and Cuba, including but not limited to: scholarships for host country nationals to study in Cuba; Cuban-paid medical travel for host country nationals; and Cuban doctors working in host country? A3 - Yes. Barbados is the recipient of Cuban scholarships and Cuban-paid medical travel for Barbadians in need of eye surgery (Ref D). There is no wide-scale program to utilize Cuban doctors in the local health care system. In addition to official exchange programs, there are exchanges at the NGO level. For example, on April 11 a Barbados labor union hosted a dozen Cubans visiting Barbados from two Cuban organizations, the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the People and the Caribbean Association of Cuba. -------------- Democracy and Human Rights -------------- Q4 - Has the host country, in Post's opinion, worked to promote the advancement of democracy and human rights in Cuba? Q4 - No. Barbados has done nothing to advance democracy and human rights in Cuba. -------------- High-Level Visits -------------- Q5 - Have there been any high-level diplomatic visits between Cuba and host country in the past six months? A5 - Yes. Fidel Castro visited Barbados December 7-9, 2005, for the triennial CARICOM/Cuba Summit (Ref C). GILROY