AMBASSADOR OURISMAN'S INTRODUCTORY VISIT TO GRENADA

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000194 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAR AND WHA/EPSC SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR ETRD ECON EAID CMGT GJ XL SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR OURISMAN'S INTRODUCTORY VISIT TO GRENADA REF: A. BRIDGETOWN 23 ¶B. 06 BRIDGETOWN 1255 Classified By: AMBASSADOR MARY OURISMAN FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (U) Summary: On January 17-19, 2007, Ambassador Ourisman visited Grenada to present her credentials. She conducted an initial round of meetings with Grenadian officials including the Prime Minister and the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and members of the opposition. Ambassador Ourisman also met with Peace Corps Volunteers. End Summary. -------------- Ministry of Foreign Affairs -------------- ¶2. (U) On January, 18, 2007, Ambassador Ourisman met with Oliver Joseph, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Joseph warmly welcomed the Ambassador to Grenada and thanked her for the assistance that the United States provided after Hurricane Ivan in 2005. According to Joseph, the island nation has recovered 90 percent, but some work still remained. Later in the discussion, Joseph returned to the theme of U.S.-Grenadian relations. He said the United States is seen as a close friend, but sought to explain why that does not always translate into a closer alignment during votes in the UN and other international fora. According to Joseph, in votes on committee or commission seats, the United States would receive Grenada's vote. However, Grenada takes into account "other factors" when it comes to voting on issues such as Israel and Palestine. (Note: Grenada has consistently voted against issues and initiatives that the United States supports in the UN. End Note.) ¶3. (U) Joseph proceeded to describe some of the challenges that Grenada faces in the 21st century global economy. During the last fiscal year, border taxes accounted for 52 percent of government revenue. He expressed concern that global trends toward reduction of import duties would seriously impact revenues. Joseph mentioned that Grenada would need a longer period of adjustment, but did not elaborate. Starting October 1, 2007, Grenada will introduce a value added tax. ¶4. (U) Grenada's economy depends heavily on the service sector, which accounts for 76 percent of GDP. Grenada is not competitive in manufacturing, but has a slight edge in some commodities, including nutmeg and cocoa. According to Joseph, remittances from citizens living abroad are the second largest contributor of foreign exchange after tourism. ¶5. (C) Ambassador Ourisman underscored that the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) legislation that is pending before the Grenadian parliament is the most immediate issue of interest to the USG. Joseph blamed resource constraints for the delay. According to Joseph the parliament has only one drafter of legislation. (Note: In June 2006, CARICOM provided model APIS legislation to all member countries hosting the Cricket World Cup. Consequently, Grenada's delay in passing the legislation can hardly be blamed on the sole, overworked legislative drafter, as Joseph claimed. End Note.) -------------- Governor General -------------- ¶6. (U) Following the meeting with Joseph, Ambassador Ourisman presented her credentials to Sir Daniel Charles Williams, the Governor General of Grenada. After a brief ceremony, Ambassador Ourisman discussed post-hurricane reconstruction and U.S.-Grenadian relations. -------------- The Opposition -------------- ¶7. (U) Ambassador Ourisman met with the leader of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC),Tillman Thomas. Two other NDC members of parliament, Peter David and Glynis Roberts, joined the meeting. Thomas thanked Ambassador Ourisman for U.S. support following Hurricane Ivan. Thomas took this opportunity to criticize the Mitchell government for mismanagement of the reconstruction effort and for using the EC$100 million (USD37 million) in Chinese aid to build a cricket stadium instead of housing, schools, and police stations. ¶8. (U) Betraying his frustration with the NDC's long spell in the opposition, Thomas suggested that the NDC would propose a constitutional amendment on term limits. (Note: Prime Minister Mitchell has been in power since 1995. End Note.) Thomas also hopes that the next election will end Mitchell's time in office. (Note: Elections may be called as early as May 2007, after the Cricket World Cup, but have to be called no later than January 2009. End Note.) Thomas thought the December 11 St. Lucian elections, in which the opposition unseated the ruling party, was a good omen (Ref A). ¶9. (C) Thomas also stated that his party was concerned about the separation of powers in Grenada. Peter David, a parliamentarian from St. George's, elaborated by noting the stalled government inquiry into the "briefcase" incident (Ref B),in which Prime Minister Mitchell allegedly accepted a bribe. David complained that even though the Governor General appointed a commission of inquiry, the Attorney General has refused to cooperate. David asked whether the videotape, which is currently in the possession of the USG and allegedly shows Mitchell accepting a bribe, could be turned over to Grenadian government officials, meaning the NDC parliamentary opposition. Embassy St. George's Principal Officer, who accompanied the Ambassador to the meeting, suggested that the NDC submit their request in writing and she would forward it to the Department of State for guidance. ¶10. (U) At the close of the meeting, Ambassador Ourisman brought up the issue of APIS legislation and asked that the NDC work with the government to ensure speedy passage of the bill. David said that the opposition had no problems with the legislation. -------------- Prime Minister Mitchell -------------- ¶11. (U) Like other Grenadian officials, Mitchell began by thanking the Ambassador for the help the United States gave after Hurricane Ivan. He fondly remembered receiving a call from President Bush from Air Force One and meeting with then-Secretary of State Powell to brief him personally on the situation in Grenada. While Mitchell was appreciative of the U.S. assistance, he suggested that the United States could do more to help Grenadians to study in the United States. Mitchell recalled the Reagan scholarships from the 1980's and wished that they were still available. (Note: Prime Minister Mitchell holds degrees from both Howard and American Universities. End Note.) While he wished that more Grenadians could benefit from U.S. education, he also expressed regret that very few Grenadians returned home at the completion of their studies in the United States. ¶12. (C) Mitchell also aired his complaints about some of Grenada's citizens who do return, namely the deportees from the United States. He said that he had personal knowledge of Grenadians deported from the United States to Grenada after serving prison sentences, who became gang leaders once back in Grenada. Mitchell also brought up a meeting that he had just concluded with Michael Welsh, the Canadian High Commissioner. According to Mitchell, he raised with Welsh concerns that the fight against terrorism was sapping resources and attention from combating drug trafficking in the region. ¶13. (U) Ambassador Ourisman discussed with Mitchell the importance of passing the APIS legislation as quickly as possible. Unlike Joseph, Mitchell blamed Grenada's inaction on the parliament's lack of a meeting space. The parliament building was destroyed in Hurricane Ivan, and the members of parliament currently meet in an expo center. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶14. (C) Ambassador Ourisman's first trip to Grenada did not reveal any surprises. Mitchell brought up additional U.S. assistance and deportations, which are common themes for most leaders in the Eastern Caribbean. Despite the government's professions of friendship with the United States, the country has eagerly opened itself not only to Chinese and Venezuelan aid, but also their influence. ¶15. (C) The opposition clearly hopes to capitalize in the next election on the current weakness of the Mitchell government. We suspect that the NDC's interest in the videotape of the briefcase incident is in large part motivated by their desire to discredit Mitchell even further. Given the slim one-seat majority Mitchell's party holds in the parliament and the closeness of the last election (one parliamentary seat was decided by a margin of six votes),the NDC seems well poised to take control in the next election. OURISMAN