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