JAMAICA: POINTS DELIVERED OUTLINING KEY ELEMENTS

UNCLAS KINGSTON 001826 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL PTER KPAO JA SUBJECT: JAMAICA: POINTS DELIVERED OUTLINING KEY ELEMENTS OF PRESIDENT'S SPEECH ON DETAINEES IN THE WAR ON TERROR REF: STATE 146996 1.(SBU) PolOffs delivered points Reftel, para. 8, outlining key elements of the President's speech on detainees in the war on terror, in a private meeting with the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (MFAFT) of the Government of Jamaica (GoJ),Ambassador Vilma McNish, the afternoon of Sept. 7. In response, McNish noted the following: (A) The GoJ fully supports the USG in the global war on terror, and understands the necessity of keeping dangerous terrorists in confinement. The GoJ would continue its close cooperation with the U.S. on counter-terrorism and other security issues. (B) Nevertheless, the USG,s belated acknowledgment that numerous detainees had been in the custody of the CIA for extended periods, together with media reports of prisoner abuses, would lead many around the world to doubt whether &no detainees remain in CIA custody8. 2.(SBU) NAS Director also delivered points in Reftel, and provided a copy of the White House fact sheet entitled &Bringing Terrorist to Justice8 to Angela Buchanan, the Acting Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of National Security. Ms. Buchanan promised to review the fact sheet but stated that the Ministry would make no formal reply to the demarche. 3.(U) The PAO disseminated the White House fact sheets on "Bringing Terrorists to Justice", "The Administration's Legislation to Create Military Commissions", and "The Fifth Anniversary of September 11, 2001" to: contacts in the media, NGOs, and academia; civil servants and politicians; and members of the Jamaican Constabulary and Defense Forces. The PAO also provided information from the State Department Fact Sheet "Winning the War on Terrorism" as background to the media. HEG