RSS C-26 AIRCRAFT AND COLOMBIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000312

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAR AND INL
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR SNAR BB CO XL
SUBJECT: RSS C-26 AIRCRAFT AND COLOMBIA

REF: A. STATE 10939


B. BRIDGETOWN 189

Classified By: DCM Mary Ellen T. Gilroy for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Per ref A, Ambassador Ourisman informed Barbados'
Prime Minister Owen Arthur that INL's proposal to repair the
two C-26 aircraft of the Regional Security System (RSS)
airwing was no longer offered.


2. (C) In response, PM Arthur and other officials noted
that, in principle, Barbados was not opposed to cooperating
with the United States in regional drug interdiction efforts.
However, Barbadian officials were concerned that Barbados
and the RSS member states could open themselves to charges of
encroaching on Colombia's sovereignty, in the absence of a
clear agreement by the government of Colombia to such
operations. PM Arthur suggested that Barbados would consider
this type of security cooperation in the future, if the
United States, Barbados, and Colombia negotiated a trilateral
agreement. However, Barbados would not be able to make any
commitments regarding the C-26 aircraft in the near future,
since both aircraft are expected to support Barbados and the
region during the March-April Cricket World Cup (CWC).


3. (C) PM Arthur confirmed that the governments of Barbados,
Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago shared the costs of repair
and refurbishment of the two C-26s, as the other RSS member
states could not afford the expense.


4. (C) The government of Barbados, on behalf of the RSS,
expressed appreciation for clarification that the government
of Barbados was the owner of the two C-26s. PM Arthur
subsequently publicly thanked the United States for its
generosity in donating the two planes to the government of
Barbados as a result of the Bridgetown Accord of 1997. PM
Arthur confirmed the RSS airwing used the planes for
counter-narcotics operations under the direction of JIATF
South and for search and rescue operations. He also stated
that they would support regional security surveillance for
CWC.


5. (C) Comment: In a recent meeting with Ambassador
Ourisman, PM Arthur described the RSS as an organization that
is weak, underfunded, and suffering from its members' lack of
commitment. Barbados has been funding the vast majority of
the RSS budget, and it is likely that under these conditions,
PM Arthur did not want to make any commitments on behalf of
the RSS. Now that the ownership of the C-26 aircraft has
been clarified, he may feel that he has greater latitude in
cooperating with the United States on security matters. As
reported in ref B, PM Arthur has expressed an interest in
pursuing a dialogue on U.S.-Barbadian security interests.


6. (C) PM Arthur may also welcome an increased engagement by
Colombia in the Caribbean. PM Arthur has been skeptical of
Venezuela's growing influence in the region, successfully
avoiding entanglement in Venezuela's petrodollar net. He may
view Colombia, a regional power geographically close to the
Eastern Caribbean, as a useful counterweight to Venezuela.
We should respond positively to PM Arthur's request for a
security-focused dialogue, and if appropriate, renew our
offer for greater cooperation in the counter-narcotics fight.
End Comment.
OURISMAN