THIRD CWC 2007 ISAG MEETING: CWC TO WALK BY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000284

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR KAREN WILLIAMS AND MICHAEL FORTIN
STATE FOR WHA/OAS CAROL FULLER
STATE FOR CA/OCS/ACS RUSH MARBURG
STATE PASS TO DS FOR MARK WRIGHTE
SECDEF FOR OSD/ISA CARYN HOLLIS
SOUTHCOM FOR BILL VANCIO
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
DHS FOR BRAD KIDWELL
CPB FOR MIKE LOVEJOY AND DAVID DODSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2017
TAGS: ASEC PREL PTER CASC PINR KCIP KTIA XL
SUBJECT: THIRD CWC 2007 ISAG MEETING: CWC TO WALK BY
FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT...OR PLANNING

REF: 06 BRIDGETOWN 1849

Classified By: AMBASSADOR MARY OURISMAN FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The International Support and Advisory Group
(ISAG) for Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007 held its third
plenary session February 23 in Bridgetown, Barbados. The
objective of the meeting was to bring together the group of
hosting and playing nations and the international community
for one final status update and one final plea for resources.
The representatives from the various countries and
international organizations outlined the security
preparations for the upcoming tournament, highlighting
accomplishments such as the now functioning Advance Passenger
Information System (APIS). Some work remains, and many
protocols and agreements are not yet in place. A main focus
of concern for the USG, consular accreditation, still remains
problematic. As the region's leaders rush to put the final
pieces into place prior to the March ll launch in Jamaica,
some holes in preparedness may end up being filled by hope
and faith.

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PARTICIPANTS
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2. (U) CARICOM for CWC: Barbados Deputy Prime Minister Mia
Mottley; Chairman of the National Security and Law
Enforcement Council for CARICOM, Martin Joseph; Barbados
Minister of Health Jerome Walcott, Barbados Attorney General
Dale Marshall; Colonel Antony Anderson from the CARICOM
Operations Planning Agency for Crime and Security (COPACS);
Trinidad and Tobago's Security Intelligence Agency (SIA)
Director Lynne-Anne Williams and Louis Baptiste from the
Joint Regional Coordinating Center (JRCC); Safiya Ali from
the CARICOM Legal Department; the Barbados MFA Consular
Chief; Francesca Flessati of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth
Office; Duncan Jarrett of the Metropolitan Police (Scotland
Yard); and representatives from the Implementing Agency for
Crime and Security (IMPACS),the Caribbean Disaster Emergency
Response Agency (CDERA),the International Cricket Council
(ICC),and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
(Note: ISAG Chair DPM Mottley arrived over 90 minutes late
because she had to attend a funeral. In her absence,
Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Security Joseph took the
chair. Jamaican Security Minister Peter Phillips was in
Jamaica hosting INTERPOL head Ron Noble and was unable to
attend the meeting. End Note.)

International Delegations: Canadian High Commissioner
Michael Welsh, British High Commissioner Duncan Taylor,
British Deputy High Commissioner Alan Drury, British Naval
Attach Captain Peter Morgan, and the UK Home Office
Caribbean Desk Officer, Australian High Commissioner John
Michell, Mark Beauchemin of INTERPOL, and a representative
from OAS Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE).
(Note: Representatives from Brazil, South Africa, and India
were unable to attend because of missed flight connections.
End Note.)

U.S. Delegation: Head of Delegation Ambassador Mary M.
Ourisman, Deputy Chief of Mission Mary Ellen T. Gilroy,
Deputy Consul General Laurie Major, CWC Coordinator Ann
Jackson, Legal Attach Samuel Bryant, Regional Affairs
Officer John Ent, Assistant Regional Security Officer Sean
Nedd and Political Officer Christopher R. Reynolds
(notetaker).


3. (U) Caribbean and international community representatives
met February 23 in Bridgetown, Barbados to discuss the final
plans for ensuring public safety in advance of and during
Cricket World Cup (CWC). The 10-item agenda moved quickly,
unlike the two previous ISAG meetings. The topics discussed
were security structures, status of forces, health and
safety, the single domestic space, and consular concerns.
The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Mia Mottley
who arrived late after attending a funeral. In her opening
remarks, she summed up CARICOM's attitude toward CWC and its
security situation by quoting a verse from 2 Corinthians 5-7,
"For we walk by faith, not by sight."

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THREAT ASSESSMENT
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4. (C) A representative from the Port of Spain-based Regional
Intelligence Fusion Centre (RIFC) gave a breakdown of the
regional threat assessment. The threat level for teams,
officials, and media is low. The threat level for interests
of the United States, United Kingdom, India, and Pakistan is
high. The intelligence threat was broken down into:
transnational threats, domestic crime, and the targeting of
foreigners. The PowerPoint on the threat assessment
co-mingled identified terrorists with criminals. (Note: The
PowerPoint was displayed on large screens set up in the
conference room which had glass walls looking out onto the
pool area of the resort. The slides marked "SECRET" could
easily be seen by those passing by the room to and from the
pool. End Note.) The Port of Spain RIFC is staffed with
Regional Liaison Officers and International Liaison Officers
(ILO). The contribution of ILOs is: INTERPOL 3, UK 1
(arriving March 12),South Africa 1 (arriving early),
Pakistan 1 (arriving March),and Australia 1 (in place March
1-24).


5. (C) The Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) is a
key component of regional security. The RIFC representative
assessed that "APIS is working quite effectively," noting
that the input from the international partners was
"invaluable." Most of the hits are not terror-related, but
come from CARICOM watch lists. At the moment, there is
nothing to suggest a threat from extra-regional arrivals.
(Note: CBP reports that APIS is "working better than
expected." End Note.) Trinidad and Tobago Security
Intelligence Agency (SIA) Director Lynne-Anne Williams, from
the Joint Regional Coordinating Centre, said that 70 percent
of the airlines flying into the region were compliant with
either APIS or e-APIS. The European carriers are respecting
the region's APIS requirements. The only major airline not
compliant is United Airlines. The UK HC asked if the

CARICOM/US Operational Protocols for APIS were finalized and
raised European concerns about data protection issues. Louis
Baptiste sidestepped a direct answer, saying that APIS was
running. There was no further mention of privacy concerns.

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ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE AND COMMAND AND CONTROL
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6. (C) South Africa plans to send 70 police (specialties not
mentioned) who will accompany the South African team. They
will be deployed to Grenada (April 10-21),St. Lucia (April
25),and Barbados (April 28). Barbados will furnish a field
with military tents to accommodate them. Bangladesh will
provide an EOD team. Australia will contribute three
advisors to the Regional Operations Coordination Centre
(ROCC) and at least one EOD technician. India will contribute
two 11-person EOD and IODD teams, one to be located in
Jamaica and the other in Guyana. Canada plans to send public
health advisors. Bermuda might possibly offer medical
support. France offered naval support and will have air
assets on tap (helicopters and Hercules transport) to provide
medevac services. At the press conference DPM Mottley stated
the Netherlands has offered "over the horizon" capacity.
Also at the press conference Barbados Health Minister Walcott
identified The Bahamas, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and the
British Virgin Islands as providing unspecified support.
According to DPM Mottley, the details of United States and
United Kingdom "over-the-horizon" support are to be worked
out. (Note: The UK HC told DCM on the margins that one,
possibly two, UK warships as well as an E-3 radar plane will
be in the region. However, they will likely be part of
JIATF-S operations and not specifically dedicated to CWC.
End Note.)


7. (C) Command and Control: Trinidad and Tobago Prime
Minister Patrick Manning is the CARICOM lead, Barbados DPM
Mia Mottley is the lead minister. (Note: In CARICOM member
state bureaucracy, heads of government take on one or more
issues/specialty portfolios, and in that capacity can speak
on the subject for all member states. The lead minister is
the one who does the heavy lifting. End Note.) The Police
Commissioner of the CWC host nation where the games are held
will have command and control of any off-island
police/forces/troops. The Regional Operations Coordination
Centre (ROCC) and the CARICOM Crisis Coordination Team (CCCT)
were to be activated on February 26 and be fully operational
March 1. In a man-made incident the ROCC and Colonel
Anderson will take the operational lead; policy and strategic
direction will come from the ministerial level. The CCCT
will convene in a crisis; the prime minister of the affected
country will request assistance. If necessary, Prime
Minister Manning has the authority to intervene and provide
leadership. (Note: There have been some positive
developments. As of March 1, Dominica has still not been
connected to CISNET. However, the CCCT is fully functional
and the Secure Video Conferencing equipment was successfully
tested. End Note.)


8. (U) In the event of a threat to public health and safety,

the CWC host nation will trigger standard international
response mechanisms (CDERA or PAHO). Under the umbrella of
CDERA and/or PAHO, a command structure will be established to
liaise with the ROCC and CCCT.

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SOFA
--------------


9. (C) The proposed Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) will
cover both police and defense forces. The Attorneys General
of CWC host nations are working on legislation to submit to
their respective parliaments, though some ISAG attendees
expressed concern that an MOU or SOFA might not be the best
mechanism should outside forces be needed. CWC/CARICOM
remains open to conclude any necessary instruments
appropriate to the type of assistance offered/needed.

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THE SINGLE DOMESTIC SPACE
--------------


10. (U) DPM Mottley announced that the 10-nation Single
Domestic Space was now fully operational and that once
passengers were cleared into the region, passport inspection
was not required. She stated that 85-90 percent of the
airlines were transmitting data. (Note: This is higher than
the figure SIA Director Lynne-Anne Williams put forward. End
Note.) Mottley said that LIAT was the single largest carrier
in the region (in terms of passengers moved),but it was
still using fax and e-mail to transmit manifests. By March
1, it should be transmitting via Electronic Data Interchange
(EDI). Regular carriers and charter flights were currently
compliant with APIS; APIS will "move soon" to private
flights. Some of the larger cruise lines were compliant with
APIS. Private yachts were the biggest concern, as it is
impossible to achieve full compliance from all small vessels.


11. (C) Mottley then launched into harsh criticism of the
international community (not by name but by implication the
United States and United Kingdom) for failure to provide the
heightened level of security sought by CARICOM heads. Her
litany included the withdrawal by HMG of an alleged promise
by then-FonMin Jack Straw to provide AWACS; lack of radar
coverage; lack of maritime surveillance; and failure to
provide a robust visible security presence to deter possible
terrorists. (Comment: Her argument that when the CARICOM
Heads decided in 1998 to host the CWC there was no September
11, no Afghanistan, no Iraq, and that the region was
subsequently forced to take extreme security measures for
foreign policy decisions made by unnamed others reveals the
profoundly insular belief that time should stand still for
and the world should exempt the Caribbean from the issues
that face other nations. End Comment.)

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CARIBBEAN HOGS MEETING
--------------


12. (U) Mottley next listed a series of decisions that were

made at the February 12-14, 2007, Caribbean Heads of
Government (HOGs) intercessional meeting in St. Vincent and
the Grenadines.

-- The JRCC would remain fully operational after CWC to
support the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

-- The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, the foundation document
of CARICOM, would add security cooperation as the fourth
pillar. (The other three being economic cooperation, foreign
affairs cooperation, and functional cooperation on trade
issues.)

-- Adding a protocol to the security assistance treaty to
establish COPACS.

-- Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Security, and Tourism will
form a task force to review the possibility of making the
common visa for CWC feature. The visa exemption/waiver is
based on those countries with which CARICOM has close
security cooperation (this includes the United States, United
Kingdom, and Canada).

-- Creation of the Single Domestic Space as a permanent
feature; a report will be done on how to facilitate the
movement of CARICOM nationals around the region without
compromising sovereignty.

-- IMPACS will create a framework to integrate police and
criminal records throughout the region.

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CONSULAR ACCREDITATION
--------------


13. (C) United Kingdom security expert Francesca Flessatti
explained that the ICC controls accreditation. The current
ICC position is that routine consular accreditation is not
required. Consular representatives will be treated as
emergency service personnel. In response to a query as to
how to identify these consular representatives, the CARICOM
response was that contact information should be exchanged in
advance and those on the consular list will be contacted by
telephone. Minister Joseph elaborated that each National
Security Plan designated a host country official as a
consular liaison. This individual will contact consular
officials once an incident triggered the "emergency reaction"
communications reaction. Barbados DPM Mottley explained that
in an emergency, the ICC no longer controlled the venue, the
national authority would assume command.


14. (C) A lengthy discussion ensued about what constitutes an
emergency, including a request from Canada for written
instructions on what to do if a crisis is declared. The USG
explained its position (the most forward-leaning of the
international community) that consular officials must be
accredited in advance of a crisis, rather than relying on
credentialing after an incident occurred.


15. (C) The UK and Australia have already purchased tickets

for consular officials to attend games. While this
guarantees a consular presence, it does not guarantee access
to areas of the stadium where they may be needed. Australia
raised the possibility that the ICC/CWC or host nation may
need consular help outside of a crisis. Australia cautioned
CARICOM and the CWC representatives that there could be
negative media coverage should routine consular access be
impeded.


16. (C) Immediately following the ISAG meeting, Barbados DPM
Mottley and Derrick Jones, the honorary consul for Sweden in
Jamaica and the legal counsel of Jamaica-based West Indies
CWC, had a frank and to-the-point discussion about consular
accreditation with DCM. Jones claims the USG agreed to the
ICC position of no need for consular accreditation for
presence/access during the games. Jones bases this position
on an exchange of e-mails between ICC and the Department.
The DCM reiterated the need for consular accreditation in
advance of a crisis and reminded Jones that the USG is still
waiting for a formal reply to Under Secretary Fore's letter
to ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed. ICC controls the
stadium, but in the event of a crisis (defined by ICC and/or
host government/CARICOM),host government law enforcement
will take control of the stadium and will issue "emergency
accreditation/access" post-incident. CARICOM claims it is
helpless to pressure ICC. ICC and CARICOM agree that the
host government will immediately take over in the event of an
emergency, contact appropriate consular authorities, and
everything will run smoothly. Finally, DCM responded that
given the circumstances, it might be prudent to post an
appropriate note on the Consular Affairs website (e.g.,
AmCits beware as normal consular accreditation/access has
been denied by CWC game organizers). The CARICOM government
representatives offered no response. Jones took offense at
the prospect of a consular warning but he and DCM
subsequently discussed how to provide credentials for
consular officers so that they are prepared for any
eventuality requiring their services; Jones promised to
contact the ICC concerning the USG's concerns. Post is
awaiting the ICC's response.

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COMMENT
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17. (C) Time is up for the Eastern Caribbean. As one
presenter correctly put it, "We are going through the door of
Cricket World Cup." The ISAG meeting contrasted the region's
strengths and weaknesses in preparedness for the challenges
of hosting the third largest sporting event in the world. It
now appears that the actual sporting venues will be ready in
time for CWC; however, there are still many unanswered
questions about having adequate accommodations and
transportation infrastructure to handle the anticipated tens
of thousands of visitors. An elaborate command and control
structure has been established, but without blanket MOUs and
SOFAs in place it is uncertain how quickly or effectively it
could respond to an emergency. With major security questions
still unanswered such as immigration controls for passengers
of private yachts and uncertain protocols for foreign law

enforcement officers conducting police functions in host
nations, a minor incident could quickly escalate beyond the
regional security infrastructure's ability to deal with it.
GILROY