JAMAICA: SUSPENSION OF TITLE III OF THE LIBERTAD

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINGSTON 002377

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR (RBUDDEN),ALSO FOR WHA/CCA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/07/2016
TAGS: ETRD ETTC PREL JM CU
SUBJECT: JAMAICA: SUSPENSION OF TITLE III OF THE LIBERTAD
ACT

REF: A. STATE 191752

B. 04 KINGSTON 01765

C. 05 KINGSTON 02618

D. 06 KINGSTON 846 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: CDA James T. Heg, reasons 1.5 (b) and (d)

This message responds to questions asked in ref. A.


1. (C) Since the determination that the Jamaican-owned
"SuperClubs" brand of all-inclusive resorts was operating in
Cuba in violation of Title IV of the Libertad Act, and
subsequently divested itself of assets there (ref. B),Post
is unaware of any Jamaican investments in Cuba. However,
many Jamaicans, including businesspeople, oppose U.S. policy
towards Cuba, which hampers post efforts to gather accurate
data on investments. A contact at the Jamaica Promotions
Agency (JAMPRO) stated that while a number of Jamaican
companies export to Cuba, she "was not aware" of any Jamaican
entity with a commercial presence in Cuba.


2. (SBU) There is no direct bilateral trade agreement between
GOJ and Cuba. There is a partial scope trade agreement
between CARICOM, of which Jamaica is a member, and Cuba. The
Jamaican government, through the Export-Import Bank, has an
established line of credit with Banco Nacional de Cuba in
order to facilitate exports.


3. (U) As stated in ref. C, in July 2005, the Cuban
government expanded the medical program "Mision Milagro"
(Miracle Mission) to residents of the Caribbean, providing
operations in Cuba free of charge for people with cataracts
or other treatable eye conditions. Under the cooperation
agreement on energy conservation also mentioned in ref. B,
Cuba provided energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs to
households in East Kingston and Port Royal; distribution
actually began in February, 2006 and is ongoing. Cultural
and educational exchanges take place, and former Minister of
Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, K.D. Knight, has spoken of
"Cuban assistance for Jamaican students" in the form of
scholarships to study in Cuba. Jamaican sportspersons often
compete at Caribbean events in Cuba.


4. (SBU) Post is unaware of any recent measures taken by the
GOJ to advance democracy, human rights, and fundamental
freedoms in Cuba. Post has no evidence that the GOJ has
substantially changed its policies or actions toward Cuba in
the six months since the submission of our last assessment in
May 2006 (Ref. D). Jamaica continues to maintain cordial
diplomatic relations with Cuba, its close geographical
neighbor.


5. (U) Jamaica has a diplomatic presence in Havana. To
post's knowledge, there have been no official visits of Cuban
or Jamaican representatives since the submission of ref. D.


6. (C) Post continues to believe that suspension of the right
to bring action in U.S. courts against entities and nationals
trafficking in confiscated properties in Cuba is necessary to
U.S. interests. Singling out Jamaican entities or nationals
for prosecution would be counterproductive in achieving other
USG objectives. In Post,s view, proceeding with the
implementation of Title III of the Libertad Act would
seriously complicate, and perhaps even compromise, our
efforts in areas of agreement. Actions against Jamaican
nationals would likely provoke a strong response from GOJ.
HEG