JAMAICAN AND FEDERAL AGENCIES REACTION TO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINGSTON 001171

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR (RBUDDEN)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PTER ASEC EWWT PGOV GAO JM XL
SUBJECT: JAMAICAN AND FEDERAL AGENCIES REACTION TO
GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT (GAO)


-------------- Summary --------------


1. (U) The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) is
required to report on security related aspects of Caribbean Basin Ports
On June 29, 2007 the GAO released a report, "Information on Port
Security in the Caribbean Basin", in which they identified
three likely modes of attack and three specific areas of security
concern and vulnerability. The Jamaican reaction to the GAO report has
been limited but can only be described as resentful. Jamaicans,
including James Forbes, head of security at the Port Authority of
Jamaica were critical of the GAO report's lack of specificity. Many
federal agencies located within US Embassy Kingston, were also
concerned about the reports broad labeling of Caribbean ports with no
mention to specific countries. While many of the
concerns identified may apply to other islands in the Caribbean,
Jamaica seems to have made a concerted effort to comply and in some
instances exceed international regulations regarding port security. The
report and its findings are especially complicated, because
the Jamaican media does not seem to recognize the distinction between
this report emanating from an independent nonpartisan agency that works
for congress, the different branches of government, and how they relate
to this report. Instead, the report is viewed by many as a judgment of
Jamaican ports by the United States Government.

-------------- GAO Report --------------


2. (U) Section 233 (c) of the security and accountability for Every
Port Act of 2006 compels the GAO to inform Congress of port security in
the Caribbean Basin. It is especially important for Congress to be awar
of the security situation regarding ports in the Caribbean Basin becaus
American cruise ships and goods travel to and from this region. The US
Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report, "Information
on Port Security in the Caribbean Basin", with the specific objectives
of identifying and describing: (1) the threats and concerns to port
security within the Caribbean Basin, (2) actions taken by foreign and
domestic agents to meet international port regulations, (3) actions US
government agencies have taken to assist in making Caribbean ports
secure, and (4) the potential economic consequences of port security an
a hypothetical attack. 3.The GAO acquired data by interviewing
officials from federal agencies and international organizations. They
also visited several Caribbean nations and reviewed information provide
by those agencies and organizations working in the region. Based on the
areas of analysis in the aforementioned section, the GAO found
three areas that specifically inhibit port security in the Caribbean
Basin: (1) corruption, (2) gang activity in close proximity to ports,
and (3) drug trafficking. Illegal migration and a growing influence of
Islamic radical groups were also mentioned by agency officials as
potential concerns to port security. 4. However, according to the GAO
its report is "descriptive in nature and does not provide a detailed
analysis of the actions taken or efforts made regarding port security i
the Caribbean Basin".
Therefore, the GAO report merely describes the port security situation
without taking into consideration actions taken to address the security
concerns mentioned above. The report does not address the effectiveness
of the programs implemented by Federal or any other agencies to address
the security concerns raised in the report.

-------------- Jamaican reaction --------------


5. (U) The Jamaican reaction to the GAO report can be described as
limited but outraged. In the media, there have been a few articles,
references to and reports on the GAO report. Jamaicans, including James
Forbes, head of the security at the Port Authority of Jamaica,
are specifically disgruntled at the claims of corruption, lax security,
and limited resources to maintain equipment. The GAO seems to have give
rise to some confusion, because this critique of port security comes on
the heels of the CARICOM 20/20 Summit in which Caribbean nations and th
US agreed to move forward collectively on issues of security. 6. (U) Mr
Forbes seems disgruntled at the GAO reports findings because
Jamaica appears to have addressed many of the concerns mentioned by the
GAO as a threat to security. Forbes claims the port authority of Jamaic
is audited internally, and the port authority also has been audited by
the US Coast Guard and other international agencies, who have found
their financial practices to be above board. Forbes is also
quoted as saying that the port authority has scanning equipment that
can not only scan 100% of all cargo but Jamaica is the only country in
the region with the capacity to scan cargo with high-tech x-ray
equipment that can peer through 12 inches of solid steel. The
three major ports on the island, Kingston, Montego Bay, and Ocho Rios
are operated by both local police and Jamaica Defense Force. It is
important to note that Forbes did not address the issue of growing
Islamic radical influence in the region.

-------------- FEDERAL AGENCIES --------------


7. (U) Federal agencies operating in the area have positive reviews of
the efforts by the Jamaican government to secure the ports. In the
estimate of the Embassy's Narcotics Affairs Section the management of

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Jamaican ports, headed by Noel Hylton, does not appear to be corrupt.
Narcotics Affairs also believes the Jamaica Defense Force do not
seem to be corrupt in comparison to other law enforcement agencies in
Jamaica. The Defense Attachi's Office (DAO) could not comment on other
ports in Jamaica but specifically mentioned the port in Kingston as
secure and compliance with international guidelines/standards. The
Department of Homeland security Container Security Initiative,
Kingston, also has found that the Kingston port is secure. Some of the
security measures noted by the Container Security Initiative, a program
active in other Caribbean Islands, included:(1) having a Jamaican
Customs Officer present when someone enters the container area, (2) if
the seal of a contain is broken, (3) a customs officer must also be
present, (4) and all vehicles that enter the port are required to sign
in and out. The consensus opinion of Federal agencies operating in
Kingston is that the ports here are secure.

-------------- Comments --------------


8. (U) The problem with the GAO report is its lack of specificity. The
GAO report makes broad claims about port security in the region as a
whole but does not to address the differences that exist within the
region. This is misleading, because a security concern in
one country is not necessarily a concern another, and the report does
not go into detail. Especially in a region that has some of the poorest
countries in the western hemisphere together with some of the more
prosperous in the hemisphere, the method of broad descriptive reporting
is inconsistent with the goal of providing an accurate description of
port security. Furthermore, while the report consults federal agencies
regarding their assessment of security concerns in the region, it does
not go further to address the effectiveness of programs developed by
federal agencies to address these concerns.


9. (U) The report's lack of specificity is a problem, because some
governments believe, by virtue of being apart of the region to which th
GAO report refers, there situations are mischaracterized. Other
governments sometimes do not recognize the difference between
the executive and legislative branches in the U.S. system or the
independent, non-partisan nature of an organization like Government
Accountability Office that is charged with keeping the legislative
branch informed of how the executive spends money.

HEG