JAMAICA WILL NOT ACCEPT DEPORTEE REINTEGRATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINGSTON 001810

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA KMADISON, WHA/CAR JTILGHMAN, MFORTIN,
KWILLIAMS, VDEPIRRO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2017
TAGS: PREL EAID PHUM JM
SUBJECT: JAMAICA WILL NOT ACCEPT DEPORTEE REINTEGRATION
PROGRAM

REF: A. (A) KINGSTON 1606

B. (B) KINGSTON 1657

C. (C) KINGSTON 1770

Classified By: Classified by CDA James T. Heg for Reasons 1.5 B&D


1. Summary: (SBU) On December 20, the Jamaican Prime
Minister rejected the U.S. offer of assistance for
returning deportees through the pilot Deportee
Reintegration Program. This decision was based on
adherence to a reported collective decision by CARICOM
Heads of Government to discuss the program with the U.S. on
a regional basis; and came despite heavy lobbying of the
Prime Minster and his staff by both Ambassador Johnson and
the CDA. As the decision came from Golding, Post sees no
other option left to the Department but reassignment of the
funds that would have been used for Jamaica to another
CARICOM partner nation. End Summary

Another attempt to sway Minister of National Security


Washington to engage in discussions with the Department of
State Office of Caribbean Affairs concerning program
implementation.

We are aware that you feel certain CARICOM equities are at
risk if you agree to proceed, and that these Jamaican
concerns are abetted by some individuals within CARICOM.
The Ambassador indicated that you were told CARICOM
proposes to hold a meeting with the U.S. in January to
discuss the deportee program.

In connection with this, it is important that your
government understand several key things:

--The U.S. has not nor will it propose a CARICOM-wide
program. Rather, based upon the final communiqui signed by
the U.S. and CARICOM heads of state at the Conference on
the Caribbean in Washington, D.C. this summer, it has
tabled an offer to conduct pilot programs in three
countries receiving the most deportees from the U.S. Those
countries are Jamaica, Guyana, and the Bahamas.

--The governments of both Guyana and Bahamas have indicated
their intention to proceed with the program, without any
objection, reservation, or condition related to CARICOM.
Those countries are proceeding to work with IOM on a
program that best meets their local requirements.

--The U.S. does not intend to meet with or negotiate with
CARICOM concerning this program, which is bilateral from
the point of view of the benefiting countries. There will
be no meeting between CARICOM and the U.S. government on
this subject, either in January or at any other time.

--The program does not entail any proposed or anticipated
increase in the flow of deportees from the U.S. to Jamaica.

--Absent a positive decision by Jamaica to proceed with
this program by the end of this week, the U.S. government
will initiate a reprogramming of the portion of the program
intended to benefit Jamaica to another country in the
region. We would greatly regret this outcome, as the
program is solely meant to benefit your country in a way
you would find most appropriate to your needs, and is
intended to meet a long-stated concern of Jamaica's about
the resource cost to resettling returning deportees.


6. (SBU) Sinclair contacted the CDA upon receipt of the fax
transmission and promised to take the message to Golding.
In their tel-con the CDA stressed the need for Jamaica to
make a decision and pointed out that at this late stage,
continued silence would be considered a no.

One more time.....


In a meeting with the President and Secretary of State had
with the Heads in June, the issue was addressed with the
understanding that there would be further dialogue on
reintegration issues. At the congressional hearings which
followed in July, the United States put forward the option
of the IOM project currently underway in Haiti being
extended to other CARICOM countries.

The CARICOM response conveyed through the Caucus of
Ambassadors in Washington was that the experience of the
IOM project in Haiti would need to be evaluated to
determine whether it is appropriate for the circumstances
of other countries in the region. This position was
reiterated during informal discussions between your Embassy
officials and the Ministry of National Security in August.

I am advised that a contract was entered into between the
State Department and the IOM for project implementation in
the Bahamas, Guyana and Jamaica. I must indicate that this
has caused some embarrassment to the government and has
made it necessary for us to formally advise the Chairman of
the Regional Court of Security Ministers that Jamaica had
not withdrawn from the position previously taken by the
Heads.

I must therefore advise that Jamaica cannot accede to your
proposal for a bilateral arrangement outside of the
regional framework that CARICOM Heads have mandated.

Yours sincerely

Bruce Golding
Prime Minister



9. (C) Comment: We have pulled out all the stops to
induce the GOJ to accept our deportee program. That in the
end they have not done so is a significant disappointment
This has been a dialogue of the deaf throughout the fall.
Our efforts to engage the Jamaicans bilaterally have
foundered on their insistence that they are bound by a
CARICOM consensus to treat the issue from a regional
perspective. In this Mission, we have no insights on or
access to CARICOM internal processes and deliberations, and
so have only been able to try and counter their
CARICOM-related concerns by repeating our own position over
and over at ever-higher levels.


10. (C) Whatever their representations to us, CARICOM
officials and those of several other member states appear
to have worked assiduously behind the scenes to persuade
the GOJ not to break ranks on this issue. We are even told
here that Guyana, despite its cooperation with us to date
on the IOM program, has indicated to the GOJ it is not
going ahead with a bilateral deportee program. The
Jamaican permanent bureaucracy, which dug in early on
against the U.S. proposal, must assume a significant share
of the blame here.


11. (C) From our point of view, it was unfortunate that
this bilateral program proposal was first introduced in a
U.S.-CARICOM context, as that has allowed that organization
to make mischief over it ever since. The new JLP
government here, having inherited a reputation from the
Edward Seaga days as "not a team player" on CARICOM
integration, (Ref A) has evidently felt it necessary to
counter that reputation in the region by being overly
sensitive to the concerns of CARICOM. Whatever our opinion
of the importance of CARICOM, the GOJ's concerns were
clearly genuine and their position resulted from
deliberation at the highest levels. Overwhelmed by
problems of forming a new government after 18 years out of
power, surging crime and economic turmoil, exacerbated by
the effects of Hurricane Dean and heavy fall rains, the
Golding administration was never able to cut through the
cloudy issues raised by the permanent bureaucracy and
CARICOM to see the larger picture. If and when we succeed
in engaging another CARICOM member in a bilateral deportee
program in lieu of Jamaica, the GOJ may learn a valuable
lesson about CARICOM's utility.


12. (C) We do not believe Golding's decision reflects a
change from his essentially pro-U.S. orientation. Nor does
it reflect opposition to our proposal per se. Rather,
concerns about their position in the region which have not
been addressed, combined with our insistence on a yes or no
answer before Christmas, backed him into a corner. The
Ambassador will raise this unfortunate matter with the new
Jamaican Ambassador-designee, Anthony Johnson, in a

courtesy call scheduled for December 27, and urge him to
take steps to improve bilateral communication and
understanding on issues such as this as soon as possible.
We would also recommend greater bilateral engagement by
senior WHA officials with the new Golding government early
in the new year. We have important security interest here
(DHS and perhaps DOJ are planning to increase their
presence in Jamaica). Despite this unfortunate fumble, we
should support GoldingQs overall goals for strengthening
democratic institutions, fostering market-based economic
growth, and combating crime and corruption.
JOHNSON