TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - LIBERTAD ACT TITLE III REVIEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT OF SPAIN 001432 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CCA AND WHA/CAR E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2016 TAGS: ETRD ETTC PREL CU TD SUBJECT: TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - LIBERTAD ACT TITLE III REVIEW REF: A. STATE 191752 ¶B. PORT OF SPAIN 501 Classified By: DCM Eugene Sweeney, reasons 1.4 (b/d) Ref: (A) State 191752, (B) Port of Spain 501 (U) This message responds to reftel questions. ¶1. (C) QUESTION: What is the nature of investments that host country businesses have in Cuba? ANSWER: Post is aware of no Trinidad & Tobago companies or individuals with significant presence or investments in Cuba. ¶2. (C) QUESTION: Are there any bilateral trade agreements between host country and Cuba? ANSWER: Trinidad & Tobago does not have a bilateral trade agreement with Cuba, but as a member of CARICOM, T&T has ratified the trade agreement between CARICOM and Cuba. This year the GOTT established a trade office in Cuba, to serve as a conduit between T&T manufacturers and Cuban state companies. ¶3. (C) QUESTION: Are there any exchange programs between host country and Cuba, including but not limited to: scholarships for host country nationals to study in Cuba; Cuban-paid medical travel for host country nationals; and Cuban doctors working in host country? ANSWER: About a dozen T&T students are studying medecine in Cuba with GOC support, and seventy Cuban doctors have been serving in Trinidad & Tobago under a GOTT-GOC arrangement; Prime Minister Manning has told us he does not want to expand this cooperation. In October PM Manning publicly announced plans to draw on Cuban "expertise" in organic farming for two of ten planned large-scale farms intended to stimulate domestic agricultural production. ¶4. (C) QUESTION: Has the host country, in Post's opinion, worked to promote the advancement of democracy and human rights in Cuba? ANSWER: Post is not aware of any GOTT initiatives in support of promoting democracy and human rights in Cuba. ¶5. (C) QUESTION: Have there been any high-level diplomatic visits between Cuba and host country in the past six months? ANSWER: There have been no high-level diplomatic exchanges beween Cuba and Trinidad & Tobago in the past six months. However, in early December the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added Cuba to a list of countries where new T&T embassies are to be established. ¶6. (C) Post believes it is in the U.S. national interest to suspend Title III of the Libertad Act for Trinidad & Tobago, based on T&T's contribution to U.S. energy security as a reliable supplier of oil and gas and its importance as an economic leader in the eastern Caribbean. AUSTIN