VISIT OF WHA/DAS PATRICK DUDDY TO KINGSTON,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINGSTON 000930 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CAR (BENT), E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ABLD AMGT ECON EAID PREL KMCA JM SUBJECT: VISIT OF WHA/DAS PATRICK DUDDY TO KINGSTON, JAMAICA, APRIL 27-28, 2006 REF: A. KINGSTON 892 ¶B. BRIDGETOWN 505 ¶C. KINGSTON 418 This message is Sensitive But Unclassified. Please handle accordingly. ¶1. (U) Summary: On April 27 and 28, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Patrick Duddy SIPDIS visited Kingston, Jamaica. On April 27, Duddy met with GOJ officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the details of which are reported in ref. A. On April 28, Duddy met with Jamaican business leaders who discussed the potential for a trde agreement with the United States, USG reaction to Venezuelan petrodiplomacy, and the potentialities of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). Also on April 28, Duddy met officials representing Cricket World Cup 2007, and discussed preparations for the event scheduled for March-April 2007, and the potential for cooperation with the USG on security matters. End summary. -------------- Business Breakfast -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On April 28, DAS Duddy, Ambassador Johnson and DCM hosted a breakfast roundtable with business leaders from around Jamaica. Audrey Marks and Becky Stockhausen, respectively the President and Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica, were joined by Aubyn Hill, Chairman of the National Investment Bank of Jamaica; Robert Levy, Chairman and CEO of Jamaica Broilers Group, an agricultural products exporter; attorney R. Anthony "Tony" Jenkinson, Managing Partner for Nunes, Scolefield, Deleon and Co.; and Mariano Robles, General Manager of Verizon International Teleservices. ¶3. (SBU) The executives expressed hope for increased U.S.-Caribbean trade, and asked about the status of negotiations for a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Duddy acknowledged that the FTAA process had stalled somewhat, but noted that the USG was moving forward with trade agreements bilaterally. The guests were stunned and impressed by the trade figures that Duddy provided in the aftermath of the USG,s free trade agreement with Chile, but noted to Econoff that Jamaica would have to negotiate within the context of CARICOM, and that the smaller Eastern Caribbean states would likely demand special and differential treatment in any agreement. ¶4. (SBU) Hill and Levy probed USG reaction to closer Jamaica-Venezuela ties as a result of PetroCaribe, among other initiatives. Duddy acknowledged the attractiveness of PetroCaribe in the current oil price climate, but noted that, as private sector representatives, they are aware that greater state involvement in that sector might not be something that was desirable. In a similar vein, Jenkinson asked for the USG,s opinion on the Chinese "dollar diplomacy" taking place around the region, including in Jamaica (Note: the Chinese are building a stadium for the Cricket World Cup in Trelawny, at a cost of USD 30 million. End note.). Duddy stated that while the difference in spending levels over the last few years was significant, the actual total in real terms remains relatively low. What must be monitored, he continued, is how much money the Chinese actually "leave behind." Thus far, they have engaged the Caribbean solely in trade terms. ¶5. (SBU) The executives also appeared intrigued by the potential for Jamaica from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC),and asked Econoff to provide some background materials. The Ambassador noted that she had already raised the issue with the Prime Minister, and urged the business leaders to engage their political counterparts to explore the possibilities that MCC could facilitate. -------------- Cricket World Cup -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Seeking a better understanding of the economic and security aspects of Cricket World Cup 2007, Duddy met on April 28 with Chris Dehring, Managing Director and CEO of Cricket World Cup 2007, Limited (CWC); Don Lockerbie, Chief Operating Officer and Venue Development Director; Derek Jones, Senior Legal Counsel; and Chris Tetley, International Cricket Council (ICC) Liaison. Dehring noted that the legacy KINGSTON 00000930 002 OF 002 ¶7. (SBU) Jones thanked the USG for what he characterized as our interest in assisting the countries of the region in their security preparations, as expressed by Secretary Rice in the aftermath of the Nassau Ministerial meeting. Asked specifically about the chain of command in terms of coordinating requests of this kind, CWC officials clarified that Dehring is the point of contact for all security matters concerning the event itself; issues arising that would more properly be characterized as 'national security' matters should be channeled through Jamaican Minister of National Security Peter Phillips. They did pointedly note, however, that any "Smart Card" system would not have any practical benefit with regard to event security. ¶8. (SBU) Tetley also explained the decision-making process as it relates to event movement, vice individual match movement. The ICC Board will be the body to determine that the entire event will move to the contingency venue, South Africa. He stated that there is no single "drop-dead" date for such a decision, as their contingency planning accounts for a variety of scenarios (Note: Tetley has repeatedly told Econoff, in both private and public contexts, that there is no chance, barring a catastrophic natural event, that this will happen (ref. C). End note.) Match movement, however, would be determined by CWC ) in consultation with the ICC Board. Once again there is no fixed date for such a decision. Asked specifically about Guyana and Grenada, Dehring acknowledged that they had "difficulties," but pointed out that all events of this magnitude are behind schedule in some respects at this stage of planning. He said that the ICC was beginning evaluations of all venues starting May 1, and that these would be followed by a second round in November, as hurricane season closes. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶9. (SBU) The business leaders' initial enthusiasm for MCC could be extremely useful in a country where the business and political elites mingle so closely, and in many cases overlap. Their informal lobbying could be the nudge that reluctant politicians require to take action to pass sufficient MCC parameters in order to qualify for consideration. On a less positive note, cricket officials seemed unconvinced that the "Smart Card" system would get off the ground, and appeared to be keen to distance themselves and the event from involvement in its implementation. End comment. ¶10. (U) This cable has been approved by WHA DAS Duddy. ROBINSON