JAMAICA: CDA'S MEETING WITH PERMANENT SECRETARY

UNCLAS KINGSTON 002328 SIPDIS CORRECTED COPY - CAPTION ADDED SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT PASS TO USTR (LOPEZ) DEPT FOR MCC (VANDERBROUK) DEPT FOR WHA/CAR (DUDDY, BUDDEN),EB/IFD/ODF (CONNELL), OES/AIAG (AHMAD,NEWTON),CA/PPT (PENN, STAEBEN) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL EAID ETRD EFIN KMCA OAS MARR MOPS JM XL SUBJECT: JAMAICA: CDA'S MEETING WITH PERMANENT SECRETARY SAUNDERS REF: A. KINGSTON 1874 ¶B. STATE 192519 ¶C. STATE 187635 ¶D. STATE 191887 ¶E. STATE 190899 ¶F. KINGSTON 2301 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: In a regular bimonthly meeting with GOJ Permanent Secretary Douglas Saunders, he and CDA discussed a range of areas of mutual interest. CDA, accompanied by econoff, delivered reftel talking points on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI),the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Santa Cruz Ministerial on Sustainable Development, and the Bamako Conference on Avian Influenza. They also discussed regional trade possibilities, the prospects for a permanent Status of Forces Agreement, and the effect of deportees on crime in Jamaica. End summary. ¶2. (U) Charge d'Affaires (CDA) and Econoff met on November 30 with Ambassador Douglas Saunders, Permanent Secretary in the GOJ's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (MFAFT); Saunders was accompanied by Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs Ambassador Vilma McNish. CDA remarked that we welcome this close cooperation, and that even since the last meeting in September (ref. A) a number of issues had arisen. -------------- Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative -------------- ¶3. (U) Saunders began by noting that the GOJ and the private sector were finally realizing that the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) would not have the dire consequences that some had predicted. In the current world climate, safety and security were key factors in one's travel decision, he said. Tourists who once went further afield were now coming to the Caribbean, and these people already had passports. That being said, Saunders asked whether there would be a further review of the decision to restrict the January 23 deadline for WHTI to air passengers. ¶4. (U) CDA took this opportunity to deliver ref. B talking points. He remarked that the USG was very aware of the concerns of those in the Caribbean, but that after some analysis, had discovered that bookings for the first quarter of 2007 were actually above those from the same period in 2006 (the busiest time of the Jamaican tourist season),and that the vast majority of those travelers already had passports. Further, he noted that the GOJ's own data indicate the overwhelming majority of American tourists already arrive holding passports. CDA stated that the USG would assist during this transition period in whatever manner we can. -------------- Central American/Caribbean Action -------------- ¶5. (U) Saunders then asked who from the USG would attend the Caribbean/Central American Action (CCAA) Conference in Miami. He said that Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller (PSM) was attending, and that it was likely that Foreign Minister Anthony Hylton would accompany. CDA stated that Ambassador Johnson would attend, and that Deputy Assistant Secretary Patrick Duddy would be there from Washington. -------------- Trade Possibilities -------------- ¶6. (U) Finally, Saunders followed up on questions he raised in ref. A about the possibility of reviving the Free Trade Area for the Americas (FTAA) discussions. In light of the U.S. mid-term election results, he said, there might be room to make progress on that, or on an FTA with CARICOM. The Democrats, Saunders noted, tended to emphasize labor and environment issues in their trade negotiations. CDA encouraged CARICOM to be proactive in their discussions with USTR, but noted that the region was not necessarily ready for an FTA, alluding to the desire of some states to demand special and differential treatment. Much would depend, he said, on attempts to revive the Doha Round, and also the future of Trade Promotion Authority. He pointed out that the Trade and Investment Council meeting in October in Washington had been productive, however, and hoped that we could build our trade relationship from this. -------------- Millennium Challenge Account -------------- ¶7. (U) CDA delivered ref. C talking points and noted that although Jamaica had not been selected as a threshold country this year, he believed that they were competitive, and that with sustained attention to the key spheres of ruling justly, investing in people, and encouraging economic freedom, they could make significant progress in the year ahead. Saunders agreed, noting that "perhaps we came to the program too late" this year. He expressed his personal opinion that Jamaica was perhaps trying "to do too much at once" and suggested that they should narrow their focus, as resource constraints are a perennial problem. He concurred that the MCC indicators were "things that we want to do anyway," and as such they should prioritize them in the coming year. He did highlight Jamaica's progress in the fight against trafficking in persons. CDA agreed, and reiterated that the USG stands ready to assist in that battle in any way that we can. -------------- -------------- Santa Cruz Ministerial on Sustainable Development -------------- -------------- ¶8. (U) In delivering ref. D talking points regarding the Santa Cruz Ministerial on Sustainable Development, Saunders noted wryly that sometimes politics gets in the way of progress. He agreed that the "plan of action" is the most important component of the Ministerial, and that as such Jamaica's team would be focused on the OAS Integrated Program on Sustainable Development (PIDS). Econoff left the full "white paper" text of the U.S. position to be shared with their team. -------------- -------------- Bamako Conference on Avian and Pandemic Influenza -------------- -------------- ¶9. (U) CDA delivered ref. E talking points concerning the Bamako Conference on Avian and Pandemic Influenza. Ambassador McNish stated that she was aware of the Conference, and noted that the Ministry of Health had expressed a desire to attend. She said that the problem, as always, was tight resources. ¶10. (U) Saunders used this opportunity to ask for the official USG position on the election of Dr. Margaret Chan to head the World Health Organization. He noted that Jamaica had supported Mexican candidate Dr. Julio Frenk. Econoff said that the election process had been somewhat opaque, and promised to reply to Saunders question at the earliest opportunity. -------------- Status of Forces Agreement -------------- ¶11. (SBU) CDA referred to ref. F, which acknowledged the GOJ response to the USG request for a permanent Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). CDA reminded Saunders that between the annual "Tradewinds" exercises in the Caribbean, and especially with the impending Cricket World Cup in March and April 2007, a SOFA would facilitate closer cooperation. Saunders said that although the Ministry of National Security would really take the lead on this issue, he believed that the GOJ felt that the short term arrangements had been satisfactory up until this point. There are elements, such as the International Criminal Court, he said, that may prove problematic. He agreed, however, that a long-term agreement was in Jamaica's interests. Saunders said that the preliminary reply should not be construed as negative, and indicated a GOJ desire to engage in dialogue on the issue by late January. -------------- Deportees -------------- ¶12. (SBU) CDA referenced a study that the GOJ released to the Embassy regarding the effect of deportees from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada on crime in Jamaica. The report had not yet been publicly released (it has since been released to the Jamaica Observer newspaper),but CDA noted with concern that there were some discrepancies within the report that made it appear that the crime problem in Jamaica could be attributed to these deportees. CDA hoped that the ruling People's National Party (PNP) was not hoping to use this angle as an election platform, as the USG would question some of the language and methodology when it was released. He said the Embassy would have a more detailed discussion of the issue with the Ministry of National Security in the near future. ¶13. (U) Saunders noted that crime would almost certainly be an election issue, but said that he thought it unlikely that the PNP would take that approach. (Note: Saunders is a career diplomat, not a political appointee of the PNP. End note.) He asked to see a copy of the report, as he had not yet seen one. CDA left his copy with Saunders for review. HEG