DOMINICANS WILL INVITE PRESIDENT BUSH TO MAY 28-29

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTO DOMINGO 000267 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR D, P, S/S, WHA, WHA/AND, WHA/CAR, WHA/CEN, WHA/MEX, WHA/OAS, INR/AA, EB, EB/ESC/IEC/EPC, S/CT; NSC FOR FISK E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2011 TAGS: DR ENRG IN KTIA OVIP PGOV PREL SUBJECT: DOMINICANS WILL INVITE PRESIDENT BUSH TO MAY 28-29 SUMMIT FOR MESOAMERICAN ENERGY INITIATIVE REF: A. SECSTATE 11181 ¶B. SANTO DOMINGO 0238 Classified By: EcoPol counselor Michael Meigs. Reason: 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) The Dominican Foreign Minister is moving quickly to mobilize heads of state for a "counter-Petrocaribe" summit in late May and hopes to get Latin American partners to help persuade President Bush to attend. ¶2. (C) Dominican Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Tronocos reiterated to the Ambassador yesterday that President Fernandez intends to invite President Bush to meet presidents of the "counter-Petrocaribe" Mesoamerican Energy Initiative in La Romana on May 28-29, a week before the OAS General Assembly. The Minister told the Ambassador on January 24 that he expects to provide a formal letter of invitation after his return from this week's visit to Honduras. There he is informing counterparts in Central America of the initiative and will ask them to persuade their heads of state to endorse the idea and express to the USG their interest in meeting President Bush. Morales Troncoso says that the Dominicans are interested in inviting the newly-installed President of Haiti, as well, if that is of interest to participants. ¶3. (C) Morales says the Dominicans are highly interested in the energy initiative and are grateful that Mexico's President Fox promised to finance 75 percent of the increment in the 2005 price of Mexican crude compared to the 2004 price. He said that Dominican relations with Venezuela have been "purely commercial" since Fernandez declined to break ranks with pro-FTAA countries at the Mar de Plata summit. (We understand that Minister Javier Garcia is leading a team to Trinidad and Tobago for energy consultations this week, so as to assure possible alternative supplies if Venezuela should renege on its Petrocaribe commitments to the Dominicans.) ANTI-TERRORISM TREATIES, STRENGTHENING INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ¶4. (SBU) The Minister responded to the Ambassador's follow-up inquiry on the status of anti-terrorism treaties by calling in Amb. Clara Quinones, handling ratifications. Quinones accepted the Embassy's working list of 13 instruments, of which the Dominicans are parties to only 4; she noted that in additionm, the Dominican congress had ratified the Interamerican Convention against Terrorism of June 3, 2002, approved by the Dominican Senate on May 17, 2005 and by the Dominican House on November 16, 2005. Both the minister and Quinones affirmed that the executive places a high priority on obtaining ratifications and has submitted various instruments to the congress; because of the press of business concerning tax reform, the budget, and other items, the congressional leadership has relegated these regularly to the bottom of the agenda. "We should get this done," said Morales. The MFA will review the list and continue efforts. ¶5. (SBU) Morales Troncoso travels to New Delhi on February 14th to strengthen relations with India. HERTELL