CRICKET WORLD CUP MAY DELIVER LONG TERM SECURITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000641 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CAR SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/02/2017 TAGS: ECON ASEC EAIR ETRD PGOV PINR PREL CASC BB XL SUBJECT: CRICKET WORLD CUP MAY DELIVER LONG TERM SECURITY BENEFITS REF: A. BRIDGETOWN 451 ¶B. KINGSTON 413 Classified By: DCM Mary Ellen T. Gilroy for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: While the Cricket World Cup (CWC) has been an economic disappointment for the region (ref A),it has generated changes and reforms in the CARICOM security infrastructure that may yield lasting benefits for the region. The United States contributed to the region's CWC preparations through training, the Advance Passenger Information System, and the month-long presence of USS Carney in the Caribbean. It is in the United States' interest to look for further opportunities to support the region as it seeks to lock in and build on the progress made to date in the area of security cooperation. End Summary. -------------- NO MAJOR SECURITY PROBLEMS -------------- ¶2. (U) Even as recriminations about the economic disappointment of the CWC continue across the Caribbean, most observers agree that the region largely succeeded in meeting the security challenge of hosting a large, multi-national event like the CWC. With the exception of the high profile murder of the Pakistani team coach Robert Woolmer (ref B), the rest of the CWC was generally free of security problems. There were no major reported incidents involving U.S. citizens. Despite the last-minute rush to complete CWC venues, the new stadiums and other infrastructure served their purpose and no injuries were caused by hurried or poor construction as initially feared. Even though the CWC host countries did not conclude Status of Forces Agreements in advance, they managed to incorporate foreign police forces into their security operations without major difficulties. -------------- Border Security -------------- ¶3. (U) The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) established a single domestic space zone for immigration covering all CARICOM countries except Haiti from February 1 until May 15. CARICOM issued over 43,000 special visas to visitors. Of that number, the Barbados High Commission in London issued 10,000 visas, and the Embassies of CARICOM countries in Australia, Canada, India and the United States issued between five and six thousand each. According to Barbados Deputy Prime Minister Mia Mottley, 1,540 persons were denied visas as a result of applicant screening. Mottley stated that the main reason CARICOM visas were denied was due to suspicions of human trafficking. -------------- Legacy of Regional Security Cooperation -------------- ¶4. (U) The region's security cooperation during the CWC may be the most important legacy of this sporting event. The region is considering a number of proposals to lock in the CWC gains: -- The Joint Regional Coordination Centre (JRCC) would remain fully operational to support the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). Based in Barbados, the JRCC monitors the functioning of the U.S.-provided Advance Passenger Information System (APIS). -- 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.) -- The CARICOM Operational Planning and Coordinating Staff (COPACS) would become a permanent institution through an added protocol in the Security Assistance Treaty (SAT). The SAT facilitates cooperation among member states in confronting natural and man-made disasters; the deployment of regional resources to combat serious crimes; combating and eliminating threats to national and regional security; and preserving the territorial integrity of participating States. -- CARICOM would study the possibility of making the common visa and the Single Domestic Space permanent. -- The CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) would create a framework to integrate police and criminal records throughout the region. -------------- U.S. Security Assistance -------------- ¶5. (U) The United States contributed significantly to the region's security preparations for the CWC. The United States trained hundreds of security, law enforcement, and first responder personnel and provided equipment for use during the CWC and beyond. The month-long visit to the region of the USS Carney was another very visible sign of the U.S. commitment to assist the CWC host countries should any serious problems arise during the event. The USS Carney crew also won many friends in the region through its community outreach activities. In Barbados, for example, fifteen members of the USS Carney crew plus the commanding officer, CDR Shea, helped in the refurbishment of the Challenor Creative Arts and Training Centre. A less visible--but equally important--contribution to the region's security was the U.S.-provided, USD 6 million APIS. The region's leaders continue to tout APIS as a key improvement in CARICOM border security, and they have made repeated public pledges to maintain APIS beyond the CWC. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) While the last-minute, chaotic scramble by the CWC host countries to complete their preparations made for a nail-biting spectacle, the security preparations seemed to be slightly more coherent and better planned. Of course, 100,000 cricket fans did not converge on the region as had been initially expected. The much smaller visitor numbers, while an economic disaster, was a blessing for the region's security officials, whose emergency plans and capacity to implement them were not truly tested. Nevertheless, the region did make progress in strengthening and institutionalizing its members' security cooperation. ¶7. (C) The United States stands to benefit from such progress on its "Third Border" and should seek out opportunities to support the region's efforts in this area. As we have heard from nearly all leaders in the Eastern Caribbean, the region is hungry for U.S. assistance and support. This is the message that CARICOM leaders will also carry to Washington when they participate in the June Conference on the Caribbean. The launch of the State Partnership Program between the state of Florida and the Regional Security System (RSS) should propel our security cooperation in the Eastern Caribbean. Continued FMF and IMET funding will also be key to maintaining this momentum in a region that is increasingly being courted by the likes of China, Venezuela, and Cuba. OURISMAN