GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT OCTOBER 28 - NOVEMBER 03,

UNCLAS GRENADA 000157 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL EPET EINV PGOV GJ CU VE SUBJECT: GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT OCTOBER 28 - NOVEMBER 03, 2007 ¶1. (U) Embassy Grenada's weekly activity report (GWAR) provides a little detail about events of interest that do not merit longer reporting at this time. ¶2. (U) Begin GWAR Text: ¶A. Cuba's Ambassador In Grenada Attacks Embargo Unchallenged The Cuban ambassador to Grenada, Margarita Delgado accused Washington of wanting to cause hunger and desperation in Cuba. In the Grenada Advocate last weekend, she claimed that the aim of the U.S. is to deprive the Cuban people of their sovereignty and to return Cuba to the neo-colonial status. All reporting on the embargo in Grenada's media - newspaper, radio, and television - was one-sided. Only one Grenadian media outlet sought to get the U.S. perspective on the embargo, and then did not air the interview with Chargi d'Affaires Karen Jo McIsaac. ¶B. Disaster Preparedness Planning Training The office of National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA) ran a short training course in Disaster Preparedness Planning with various groups including government ministers, permanent secretaries, pharmacists, Disaster Management district SIPDIS coordinators and other agencies. The aim is to be better prepared in the event of a disaster. The workshop was sponsored by USAID and conducted by Keith Ford a former employee of USAID. The participants at the Friday's workshop expressed the need for all the groups to come together so everyone is on the same page. ¶C. PM Asks Investors To Help Train Prime Minister Mitchell met with foreign and local investors to discuss employment and training for young people. The meeting, which included representatives from Port Louis, Prickly Bay, Grand Harbour, Bacolet Bay, Quadriga, Four Seasons and Levera Resort, focused on getting the developers and investors involved in the Grenada Training and Employment Project (GTEP). While the developers agreed it was a good idea, no one made any commitments, so it remains to be seen if they will follow through. ¶D. PetroCaribe: First Shipment Arrives Grenada received the first shipment of fuel under the PetroCaribe agreement on October 25, but only reported this week. According to the Spice Isle Review newspaper, at the ceremony marking the arrival of the first shipment, Managing Director of GRENLEC said that the new deal is more beneficial than the previous one with Texaco. He said that his company has found a strategic partner and he expects a reliable supply of quality fuel. ¶E. Minister for Tourism calls for Oprah to visit Minister for Tourism Clarice Modeste-Curwin asked the father of Oprah Winfrey to encourage his famous daughter to visit the Spice Isle. Mr. Winfrey and his wife were on a visit to Grenada to mark the 24 anniversary of the 1983 American-Caribbean intervention. MCISAAC