Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06GEORGETOWN643
2006-06-29 20:52:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Georgetown
Cable title:  

BUYER BEWARE: THE PERILS OF GIFT DIPLOMACY IN

Tags:  EAID PREL KPAO GY 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RR RUEHAO RUEHCD RUEHGA RUEHGD RUEHGR RUEHHA RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG
RUEHNL RUEHQU RUEHRD RUEHRG RUEHRS RUEHTM RUEHVC
DE RUEHGE #0643/01 1802052
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 292052Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3734
INFO RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0320
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GEORGETOWN 000643 

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SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PREL KPAO GY
SUBJECT: BUYER BEWARE: THE PERILS OF GIFT DIPLOMACY IN

GUYANA

REFS: A) GEORGETOWN 130, B) 05GEORGETOWN 947

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GEORGETOWN 000643

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PREL KPAO GY
SUBJECT: BUYER BEWARE: THE PERILS OF GIFT DIPLOMACY IN

GUYANA

REFS: A) GEORGETOWN 130, B) 05GEORGETOWN 947


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Like many of its Caribbean neighbors,
Guyana receives various high-profile gifts from countries
pursuing diplomatic objectives, most notably Cuba and the
People's Republic of China (PRC). Despite initial fanfare
and high-profile media attention, however, many of these
offers are proving ill-placed, shoddy, or unsustainable.
U.S. aid has a greater impact, but struggles to win the
public relations battle with such "gift diplomacy". END
SUMMARY.

-------------- --------------
Havana Daydreamin': Eye Care, Scholarships Fail to Impress
-------------- --------------


2. (U) The most visible "gift diplomacy" efforts have been
Cuban eye care and science scholarships (ref A). Letters to
newspapers from patients in the program frequently praise
the effort. Nevertheless, several recent news stories have
begun to chip away at the image of Cuban largesse. The
independent Kaieteur News reported in early June that as
many as five hundred Guyanese eye patients have yet to
recover from surgeries performed in Cuba last year and that
some have undergone surgeries again locally to correct what
the Cuban doctors did. The irony was not lost in Guyana
when Dr. Roger Luncheon (Head of the Presidential
Secretariat and President Jagdeo's deputy) recently sought

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emergency eye care in the U.S. rather than Cuba.


3. (U) The newspaper also reported that a Guyanese student
in Cuba had his scholarship suspended at the GoG's request -
- because of doubts regarding his parents' political
loyalties. The response to a new batch of Cuban scholarships
announced in February has been underwhelming. Local media
report that few Guyanese students have signed up for these
scholarships, more than 300 of which remain unfilled.
President Jagdeo urged more students to apply during a
recent campaign visit to the Corentyne region.

-------------- --
Made in China: White Elephant Convention Center
-------------- --


4. (U) The PRC funded the most recent addition to the
Georgetown skyline, a USD five million convention center
(ref B). The Chinese laborers brought to Guyana to work on
the project completed their work in late 2005. Since then,
the Office of the President (OP) has held several high-
profile events there, which have been near-fiascos due to a
various technical difficulties:

-- The kick-off of the national Information Communication
Technology (ICT) strategy in March was delayed nearly two
hours because the audio-visual system did not work. Local
staff were observed feverishly trying to change the display
on the main hall's monitor, the instructions for which were
written in Chinese. Complicating matters further, the
convention center's electrical outlets are designed for
Chinese plugs.

-- A problem with the air conditioning system during the
Presidential Summit on Private Sector Development in May
left the VIP audience sweltering.

-- Most recently, a problem with the lighting at the
convention center forced the GoG to move the June 19 meeting
of Rio Group trade ministers to the Japanese-built CARICOM
Secretariat building next door.

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-- The OP, which operates the convention center, has told
Post that it is currently holding off scheduling any more
events there, citing a lack of furniture in most of the
break-out rooms.

--------------
Comment
--------------


5. (SBU) U.S. aid to Guyana focuses on areas such as
improving democracy and governance, spurring exports and
economic growth, and preventing and treating HIV/AIDS.
Bilateral assistance will total about USD 30 million in 2006
-- over 3 percent of Guyana's GDP. Broad debt relief
packages over the past two years have also provided a
massive boost. All of these programs generate tremendous
benefits for Guyanese, but fail to garner the same headlines
or GoG appreciation as Chinese or Cuban "gifts" do. The GoG
accepts their dollar diplomacy with open arms and not a
trace of concern about their repressive regimes. On the

GEORGETOWN 00000643 002 OF 002



GUYANA

other hand, the GoG greets assistance from the U.S., Canada
and Europe assistance simply by asking for more. Despite
extremely limited PD resources, Post has taken steps to
counteract this with enhanced publicity for U.S. aid
programs. END COMMENT.

BULLEN