AMBASSADOR OURISMAN'S INTRODUCTORY VISIT TO ST.

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000286 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CAR SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KCRM CASC ENRG EPET EFIN ASEC SNAR, MARR, VE, ST, XL SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR OURISMAN'S INTRODUCTORY VISIT TO ST. LUCIA REF: A. BRIDGETOWN 195 ¶B. BRIDGETOWN 104 ¶C. 06 STATE 204037 ¶D. 06 BRIDGETOWN 700 Classified By: Ambassador Mary Ourisman for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Ambassador Ourisman presented her credentials to the government of St. Lucia on February 20. In meetings with the Governor General, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and leader of the opposition, the Ambassador discussed crime in St. Lucia, Article 98, Petrocaribe, the Advance Passenger Information System, and the Tax Information Exchange Agreement. Noticeably missing from her meetings with the St. Lucian leaders were requests for increased U.S. assistance and complaints concerning deportees. END SUMMARY ¶2. (SBU) On February 20, Ambassador Mary Ourisman presented her credentials to the Governor General of St. Lucia, Dame Pearlette Louisy. The Ambassador also paid courtesy calls on Prime Minister Sir John Compton, Foreign Minister Rufus Bousquet, and former prime minister and leader of the opposition, Dr. Kenny Anthony. The Ambassador then attended Independence Day celebrations on February 22. PolEconCouns and PolOff accompanied the Ambassador. -------------- -------------- PM COMPTON: APIS, ARTICLE 98, PETROCARIBE, AND MORE -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Ambassador Ourisman and Prime Minister Sir John Compton exchanged views on a number of key issues in U.S.-St. Lucian bilateral relations. PM Compton agreed that the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) looks promising, stating that he saw examples of intelligence derived from APIS at the February 12-14 CARICOM intercessional meeting in St. Vincent and that they "seemed quite good." PM Compton acknowledged his discussion with DCM Gilroy on Article 98 (ref A) and told the Ambassador that "he promised to look at it." Ambassador Ourisman also asked about the Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA),to which PM Compton stated that promulgating it should not be a problem (ref C). ¶4. (C) Ambassador Ourisman asked PM Compton about his views on Petrocaribe, to which he replied that St. Lucia does not intend to sign the agreement. He explained that his government has weighed the costs and benefits of the 
agreement and does not see how St. Lucia would come out ahead, but rather believes that Venezuela is trying to lock the Caribbean islands to its influence, perhaps with the aim of gaining access to ports throughout the region. When Ambassador Ourisman asked about alternative energy sources, the Prime Minister stated that his country has looked into both geothermal and wind energy, but that neither represent viable options for St. Lucia. (Note: Also on February 20, Minister of Commerce Guy Mayers went on record with the press stating that St. Lucia has no interest in Petrocaribe at this time. End Note.) ¶5. (SBU) In discussing regional transportation issues, PM Compton stated that the Minister of Tourism is trying to increase air traffic to and from St. Lucia for Cricket World Cup. He further commented that he has been discussing with Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur the possibility of establishing a catamaran- or hydrofoil-type ferry to increase sea travel in the region. PM Compton observed that regional governments would have to subsidize such a business to kickstart its operations. ¶6. (U) Days later, at St. Lucia's Independence Day celebrations, PM Compton announced that the government would build a national theatre, budgeting Eastern Caribbean dollars one million (USD 400,000) in 2007 to start this project. He also announced that St. Lucia would reintroduce subsidized school transport to help get children to and from school safely. ¶7. (U) In remarks directed at assembled schoolchildren as well as government officials and foreign guests, Sir John spoke a great deal about empowering St. Lucia's youth. Noting that in St. Lucia young people are not asked to go to war for their country, he encouraged them to contribute to St. Lucia's future by educating themselves and becoming successful citizens. -------------- FM BOUSQUET: CRIME AGAINST AMERICANS -------------- ¶8. (C) Ambassador Ourisman's courtesy call with Foreign Minister Rufus Bousquet focused on unresolved crimes against American citizens in St. Lucia. Referring to the strengthened language in the Consular Information Sheet on St. Lucia (refs B and D),FM Bousquet mentioned that he hopes St. Lucia and the United States can work together to see the "warnings removed." The Ambassador agreed, emphasizing that the United States wants resolution through arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators involved. FM Bousquet explained that the police are investigating these crimes, but then downplayed the documented rise in violent crime in recent years by claiming that most incidents are domestic gang-on-gang violence and that there are only occassional forays into hotels. ¶9. (U) Ambassador Ourisman also raised the TIEA and left a non-paper clarifying the issue. FM Bousquet agreed to look into the matter. -------------- GG LOUISY: GENERAL THOUGHTS ON CRIME -------------- ¶10. (C) Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy shared with Ambassador Ourisman her insights on rising criminal activity in St. Lucia. According to the Governor General, most murders in St. Lucia result from the inability of young people to resolve conflict without resorting the use of weapons, typcially knives. She further commented that the police have increased arrests in an effort to battle crime, but that too many cases are dropped on technicalities because of procedural errors on the part of undertrained prosecutors. On a positive note, in their speeches commemorating the presentation of credentials, both the Ambassador and the Governor General reflected on the salutary influence the Peace Corps has played in U.S.-St. Lucian relations. -------------- DR. ANTHONY: A CALL FOR U.S. INVOLVEMENT -------------- ¶11. (C) Although former prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony complimented various aspects of U.S.-St. Lucian relations in his courtesy call with the Ambassador, he also emphasized that United States is "not taking advantage of its friends" in the Caribbean and that there needs to be closer cooperation on security and narcotics issues. As an example, Dr. Anthony stated that he has been suggesting to donors the need for a regional conference on counternarcotics cooperation, so that the Caribbean states can discuss new aspects of the issue, review previous efforts, and fashion new policies. He further explained that the United States could be winning the game of resource diplomacy in the Caribbean if it were only willing to play at the level of other countries active in the region. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶12. (C) Noticeably missing from the Ambassador's meetings with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister were requests for foreign assistance and complaints about deportees, both themes commonly raised by Caribbean leaders. Instead, PM Compton focused on measures he is willing to take to improve his country and the region, such as funding a national theatre and potentially subsidizing maritime transportation between the islands. Even the theme for Independence Day was "Rising to the Global Challenges," through which politicians and students presented speeches on how St. Lucia can rise and succeed in an increasingly integrated world economy. Only the leader of the opposition highlighted the need for U.S. assistance in the region. GILROY