JAMAICA: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH MINISTER OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINGSTON 002151

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR (NICHOLS, BUDDEN, FORTIN),WHA/FO
(SNIDLE),INL/LP (CROOK, BROWN),PM/WRA (PICO)
SOUTHCOM PLEASE PASS FOR ADMIRAL STAVRIDIS, MAJOR GENERAL
SPEARS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2016
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL KCOR KCRM MARR XL JM
SUBJECT: JAMAICA: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH MINISTER OF
NATIONAL SECURITY PETER PHILLIPS

REF: KINGSTON 2100

Classified By: Ambassador Brenda L. Johnson, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

This is an action request: please see para 3.

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Summary
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1. (SBU) Ambassador Johnson and Minister of National
Security, Peter Phillips, met October 30 to discuss a range
of common concerns. Minister Phillips noted that the October
26 meeting with DHS Secretary Chertoff in Port of Spain,
Trinidad, had been a positive one, if somewhat shorter than
CARICOM Ministers might have preferred. He welcomed this
opportunity for follow-up from the Chertoff meeting, and
requested a copy of the US-CARICOM Initiative to Combat
Illicit Trafficking in Arms, so that he could push CARICOM to
review and discuss the agreement. Regarding criminal
deportees, Phillips expressed the need to "start a dialogue"
on the issue, noting that transnational crime is on the rise
worldwide, and that therefore simple deportation is no longer
an end in itself. Minister Phillips strongly agreed with the
Ambassador on the need to bolster anti-corruption efforts
within the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF),and also
expressed strong support for Post's Narcotics Affairs Section
(NAS)-assisted Airport Interdiction Task Force at the Norman
Manley International Airport in Kingston.


2. (SBU) Turning his attention to the upcoming Cricket World
Cup, Phillips assured the Ambassador that Jamaica would take
all necessary steps to complete the Operational Protocols
required for implementation of the Advanced Passenger
Information System (APIS). He noted, however, that there was
still a "critical gap" in the region's maritime security
planning. Ambassador Johnson used this opportunity to segue
the discussion to a consideration of Jamaica's entering into
a formal Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the U.S.
(reftel). Phillips agreed to give the matter priority
attention. End summary.

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Participants
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GOJ participants: Minister Peter Phillips, Permanent
Secretary Gilbert Scott, Jamaica Defense Force Lt. Col.

SIPDIS
Anderson.

USG Participants: Ambassador Johnson, NAS Andrea Lewis, ECON
John Morgan, FO Ixta Gonzalez.

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Light Arms Trafficking
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3. (SBU) At a meeting on October 30, Minister of National
Security Peter Phillips informed the Ambassador that
CARICOM's Security Ministers had not seen the agreement on
trafficking in arms mentioned by Secretary Chertoff at their
October 26 meeting, and that if the USG provided a copy of
the document, he would encourage his colleagues to review and
discuss it on an expedited schedule. He conceded that the
confusion likely stems from a mix-up within the CARICOM
Implementation Agency on Crime and Security (IMPACS): the new
group has been so focused on preparations for the upcoming
Cricket World Cup that the document may have been "lost in
the shuffle." Permanent Secretary Gilbert Scott added that
it was his impression that Secretary Rice had left the "door
open" to move forward bilaterally on this issue before a
regional agreement was signed. Minister Phillips seemed
eager to explore a bilateral MOU with the USG if CARICOM
continues to stall. Post requests clarification as to
whether a bilateral agreement would be acceptable to the USG.

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Criminal Deportees
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4. (SBU) Regarding the issue of criminal deportees, Phillips
expressed a strong desire to "start a dialogue" on the issue.
He hypothesized that Secretary Chertoff's agenda was "to

seek ways to ensure a faster rate of return," but opined that
the growth of transnational crime means that simply deporting
someone no longer leads to the disruption of the criminal
networks that they have established. The GOJ feels that more
can be done to assist with the reintegration and
rehabilitation of the deportees, and that this is in the
interests of the United States just as much as Jamaica.


5. (SBU) NAS Director pointed out that there has been
"tension" over the deportee issue in the past. Phillips,
however, dismissed this concern. He preferred to frame the
debate as a matter for deepened law enforcement cooperation.
He reiterated that he understand the "domestic political
realities" in the United States, but nonetheless feels that
it is in USG interests to partner on the problem.


6. (SBU) Asked when Jamaica's portion of the CARICOM
sponsored study on Criminal Deportees will be publicly
released, Phillips stated that it would become public once
raised in Parliament. NAS Director asked what the GOJ was
doing to prepare for the media reaction. Phillips conceded
that the GOJ had not developed a communications strategy. He
and Scott agreed on the need to examine this issue more
closely, although he provided the caveat that the GOJ "does
not control (the) media."

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Anti-Corruption Efforts
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7. (C) Ambassador Johnson expressed disappointment at the
failure of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to hire a
U.S. law enforcement officer as the new Head of the JCF
Anti-Corruption Branch, a position created under the December
2005 GOJ Anti-Corruption Strategy. Phillips concurred,
saying that his displeasure was "well-known" within the
Ministry (Comment: on saying that, Phillips gave a pointed
look at Permanent Secretary Scott, whose noticeable absence
during the recent selection process allowed the Commissioner
of Police, Lucius Thomas, free reign to express his and the
JCF's hostility to having an "outsider" hold the position.
End comment).


8. (C) Phillips stated that JCF will re-advertise the
position, a commitment he was unwilling to make to the
British High Commissioner during their meeting on October 23.
He also insisted that prior to posting the position again,
the JCF must have settled on clear terms of reference and
scope of duties for the officer (Note: In addition to
Commissioner Thomas' obvious hostility to an outside
candidate, the lack of clear terms of reference was a
deciding factor in the U.S. law enforcement officer's
decision not to pursue the post. End note).


9. (C) As there will be natural friction resulting from an
outsider coming into an established organization, the NAS
Director requested that the JCF and the Ministry include in
the terms of reference clarification of the actual working
relationship, within the JCF, for this new position. The
head of the JCF Professional Standards Branch, Novelette
Grant, who currently has responsibility for "anti-corruption"
efforts, has continuously worked behind the scenes to
undermine the creation of a new Anti-Corruption Branch
outside her control. Phillips conceded that there were
elements within the JCF who have "little enthusiasm" for
anti-corruption efforts, but affirmed that he and the senior
MNS staff were committed to "rooting out corruption," and he
welcomed USG assistance in the formulation of terms of
reference.

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Airport Interdiction Task Force
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10. (SBU) NAS Director also raised concerns regarding the
lack of space allocated by the Airport Authority for the
US/UK/Canada/GOJ Airport Interdiction Task Force and other
law enforcement groups operating at the airport. Scott noted
that he had raised this problem in a meeting with the
Airports Authority. Phillips, however, went further, stating
(as much, it seemed, to Scott as for our benefit) that this
"was not a request," and that the space must be provided.
NAS Director mentioned that there will be a working-level

coordination meeting on November 1, that will hopefully
result in agreement by the airport authority to provide
adequate space, and conveyed the vital importance of staying
on the same page on this issue.

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Cricket World Cup
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11. (SBU) Ambassador Johnson noted that the United States was
engaged on many levels in preparation for the Cricket World
Cup, to be held in the region in March and April 2007. The
Ambassador highlighted the recent signing of the APIS
agreement with DHS, but cautioned that there was still a
great deal of work to be done. Phillips confirmed that a
comprehensive communications planQxists for APIS
data-sharing from the regional center in Bridgetown. Scott
noted that Operational Protocols for the system were just
about finalized.


12. (SBU) Phillips clarified that the GOJ did not need to
pass implementing legislation for APIS; he intends to simply
amend existing regulations already promulgated under the
Aliens Act of 1946 to order carriers to provide APIS data.
Asked for a general timeframe, Phillips said that he hoped
that the appropriate legal framework could be in place before
Christmas. Econoff re-emphasized the need for rapid progress
on these two issues, in particular.

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Status of Forces Agreement
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13. (SBU) Minister Phillips highlighted the need for a
greater "maritime presence" ) particularly in the Eastern
Caribbean ) during the Cricket World Cup. He said that
while the APIS system would enhance security for air and
cruise passengers, there remained a critical gap in CARICOM's
ability to monitor private boat traffic.


14. (SBU) Econoff reiterated that Secretary Chertoff had
taken CARICOM's concerns back to Washington to relay them to
the appropriate entities. He noted, however, that the lack
of a formal Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Jamaica
made logistics more difficult. Ambassador Johnson pointed
out that formal SOFAs had facilitated the dispatch of United
States assets to the Pacific after the 2004 tsunami and that
if disaster assistance was requested during Cricket World
Cup, contingency operations could be more easily and rapidly
effected with a SOFA already in place. The Ambassador gave
Phillips a draft of the diplomatic notes that were provided
to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (MFAFT)
on October 23 (reftel). Phillips agreed to give the matter
priority attention. He did not think that such an agreement
would require Parliamentary approval, but stated that he
would respond formally once he had confirmed this.

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CODIS database
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15. (U) NAS Lewis returned to the Permanent Secretary an
executed copy of the Memorandum of Understanding between the
Federal Bureau of Investigation and the GOJ to implement the
CODIS DNA-sharing database.

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Comment
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16. (SBU) Now is an ideal time to engage aggressively with
Peter Phillips on any areas of mutual benefit. While always
an intelligent and useful contact, Phillips has not always
"followed through." With the considerable regional resource
needs for Cricket World Cup, however, he is more receptive
than ever. Pushing for execution of a Status of Forces
Agreement, GOJ assistance with CARICOM partners on the
Initiative to Combact Illicit trafficking of Arms,
cooperation on the thorny deportee issue, and Phillips'
support to combat corruption are all more possible now than
in the past. It should be remembered, however, that if
Phillips "comes through" in some of these areas, he likely
will come back to the USG looking for some favors of his own;

most probably, this could involve some form of maritime
platform for the Cricket World Cup. End comment.
Johnson