PM MANNING SAYS T&T IS A RELIABLE ALLY, SO U.S.

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT OF SPAIN 001125 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CAR, WHA/EPSC, EB/TPP/BTA, EB/ESC/IEC/EPC E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/21/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV ETRD EPET MARR SNAR EAID TD SUBJECT: PM MANNING SAYS T&T IS A RELIABLE ALLY, SO U.S. SHOULD CONSIDER REQUESTS ON TRADE, DRUG INTERDICTION, ARTICLE 98 REF: PORT OF SPAIN 1040 Classified By: DCM Eugene P. Sweeney for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Reprising public remarks from several days earlier (reftel),PM Manning characterized T&T as a reliable ally and energy supplier that was not receiving sufficient attention from the U.S. during a September 8 meeting with DOE A/S Harbert and State/WHA DAS Duddy. He praised bilateral law enforcement cooperation but complained about the U.S. requirement that T&T sign an Article 98 agreement. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Assistant Secretary of Energy Karen Harbert and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Patrick Duddy met with Prime Minister Manning on September 8 in Port of Spain. Also attending were Embassy DCM and Econ Chief (notetaker) and from DOE Gary Ward and Sam Browne. This message reports PM Manning's comments issues in the U.S.-Trinidad and Tobago relationship. Additional comments on CARICOM, Venezuela's Petrocaribe initiative and the upcoming UN Security Council vote are reported septel. -------------- Asking for duty-free access -------------- ¶3. (C) Manning raised two proposals on trade, first made about one year ago, that he felt had not received due attention from the U.S. The first was his request for duty-free access to the U.S. market for manufactured goods packaged in Trinidad and Tobago. Citing Taiwan as an example, he suggested that this would permit T&T to accelerate growth and development, adding that he could not see how this would be disruptive to U.S. markets, given the minimal amount of trade involved. ¶4. (C) Manning also repeated his proposal that the U.S. eliminate customs duties on energy-based products from the Caribbean. While acknowledging the merits of a comprehensive free trade agreement between the U.S. and CARICOM, he signaled low expectations of CARICOM's ability to negotiate as a single entity. By the time CARICOM is ready to start, "everyone else will have signed with you," he commented. DAS Duddy responded that a meeting of the U.S.-CARICOM Trade and Investment Council planned for October would afford an opportunity to discuss these ideas. -------------- -------------- Regional drug interdiction: You pay for it, we'll do it -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Manning said that he understands the U.S. is preoccupied with terrorism, but the apparent decision to shift resources away from drug interdiction in the Caribbean was leaving some of the small island nations vulnerable. He specifically mentioned Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda. He claimed not to be so worried about T&T, now that they have installed a new Israeli radar system to assist in guarding their coasts. He repeated his previous offer to use T&T assets (soon to include three new large OPV,s and four new helicopters) to patrol the eastern Caribbean if the U.S. would pay for the cost. -------------- Pleased with cooperation on law enforcement -------------- ¶6. (C) Manning praised bilateral cooperation on law enforcement in recent years, commenting that "the doors of the U.S. Attorney General's office opened to us" after he raised the issue during his 2003 meeting with President Bush. As a result, many offenders were now facing trials in both countries. When DAS Duddy thanked Manning for cooperating with U.S. authorities in the apprehension of Roger Khan, Manning said he had acted without hesitation, but he had then been obliged to duck some difficult questions about it. -------------- Pushing for an exemption from Article 98 -------------- ¶7. (C) Manning pushed strongly for an exemption for Trinidad and Tobago from Article 98. He characterized as "downright discourteous" the U.S. insistence that T&T sign an Article 98 agreement or go without U.S. military aid, as a former T&T prime minister (A. N. R. Robinson) had helped found the International Criminal Court. Signing such an agreement would have serious domestic political repercussions, he said, so he could not do it. Other U.S. allies were exempted from the requirement, but none of them contribute to U.S. energy security to the same degree as T&T, he asserted, reciting statistics on the share of U.S. imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG),methane, ammonia, and urea that come from T&T. DAS Duddy offered to take Manning's concerns back to Washington. -------------- What if we take our LNG elsewhere? -------------- ¶8. (C) Manning asked how the U.S. would react if T&T were to decide to sell its LNG to other countries offering higher prices than T&T currently gets from some U.S. markets. Brushing aside A/S Harbert's response that free markets adjust to price differentials, he said the real issue is security of supply. T&T is a reliable supplier and a staunch, stable, and democratic ally where the rule of law is respected, so why doesn't the U.S. do more to respond to T&T's concerns? Now in his fifth year in office, how was he not to take this negatively, he lamented. ¶9. (C) Both A/S Harbert and DAS Duddy recognized T&T,s potential to play a regional role and said they would take his concerns back with them to Washington. ¶10. (C) COMMENT: While Manning's tone was friendly, his message was sharp. He clearly realized that by delivering public remarks complaining of U.S. indifference to the Caribbean two days before a regional energy conference that DOE co-sponsored, he had put the U.S. delegation on the spot. His desire for a greater level of engagement with the U.S. was apparent, as was his concern for the impact of Venezuela,s Petrocaribe program (reported separately) on T&T,s energy markets. END COMMENT. ¶11. (U) DOE A/S Harbert did not clear this message. AUSTIN