GOVERNMENT REACTION: GUYANA AND THE JFK TERROR PLOT

C O N F I D E N T I A L GEORGETOWN 000556

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

CARACAS ALSO FOR LEGATT
PORT OF SPAIN ALSO FOR LEGATT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/04/2017
TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL CVIS GY
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT REACTION: GUYANA AND THE JFK TERROR PLOT

Classified By: AMBASSADOR DAVID M. ROBINSON FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: With emotions ranging from defensiveness, to
apprehension, to contrition, President Bharrat Jagdeo
initiated multiple conversations with the Ambassador through
the weekend regarding the JFK terror plot, distancing his
government from the Guyanese involved and reiterating that
Guyana remains a partner in the fight against global
terrorism. The GOG released an official statement on June 2,
denying that Abdul Kadir, the former Guyana Parliament member
arrested for terrorism, was a government official. The
Ambassador met with Islamic leaders in Guyana, who said that
terrorism is a violation of Islamic principals and condemned
the plot. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Upon learning that Guyanese citizens were directly
involved in the terrorist plot to attack JFK Airport,
President Jagdeo initiated an on-going dialogue with the
Ambassador, pledging Guyana's support and offering assistance
in prosecuting the alleged terrorists. Jagdeo initially
welcomed news of the arrests, but later, as he watched the
reports on CNN and Fox News unfold, he became concerned that
this would be a "big, black eye for Guyana" since Guyanese
played a central role in the plot. Jagdeo told the
Ambassador that the GOG was committed to assisting the U.S.
and he offered to extradite, if necessary, any of the
Guyanese involved in the terrorist plot.


3. (C) The GOG released an official statement on June 2nd,
distancing itself from the Guyanese involved in the incident,
specifically pointing out that former PNCR Parliamentarian
Abdul Kadir "is not nor was never (sic) a Government of
Guyana official." To emphasize this point, Minister of Home
Affairs Clement Rohee held a press conference wherein he
pronounced that Guyana is a partner in the fight against
global terrorism and that it will cooperate with all
countries in pursuance of this objective. Various other
political entities, from the Guyana Police Force to the
opposition Alliance for Change (AFC) party, released
statements and pledged their support in the fight against
terrorism.


4. (SBU) Ambassador Robinson met with Wazir Baksh, Leader of
the Guyana Islamic Trust to convey that the arrest of the JFK
plotters was an action to protect the U.S. from terrorism,
but in no way represents a USG action against Islam, as had
been implied by some local news reports. Baksh said that
terrorism is a violation of Islamic principals and condemned
the plot. He noted that Kadir was on the fringe of the
Guyanese Islamic community and that Kadir's actions in no way
represent the mainstream of Guyanese Islam.


4. (C) COMMENT: It is clear from both Jagdeo's response to
the Ambassador, and the official GOG statement, that Guyana
is concerned about the ramifications of having its citizens
so closely involved in a planned U.S. terrorist attack. AFC
leader Rapheal Trotman summed it up best, stating that
"unfortunately, Guyana has once again achieved notoriety for
something on the dark side." In order to counter this
taint, the GOG went out of their way to both distance
themselves from the alleged terrorists and to pledge support
for the fight against terrorism. Although the GOG is often
careful not to seem too supportive of the U.S., they closed
ranks on this issue.
Robinson