COMMEMORATING THE GREAT WHITE FLEET IN NICARAGUA

UNCLAS MANAGUA 002472 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/PDA BLAKENEY VASQUEZ E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MOPS KPAO PREL MASS NU SUBJECT: COMMEMORATING THE GREAT WHITE FLEET IN NICARAGUA REF: SECSTATE 153116 ¶1. (SBU) Embassy Nicaragua appreciates the invitation to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Great White Fleet. We note that President Ortega has exhibited a penchant for attacking "U.S. imperialism and interventionism," though not the Great White Fleet specifically. However, Ortega also begrudgingly acknowledges that the U.S., particularly the military, have consistently provided humanitarian assistance to the Nicaraguan people in times of crisis, including most recently, the September 2007 operation to provide relief following Hurricane Felix. ¶2. (SBU) In light of these considerations, we believe that the most appropriate method to commemorate this anniversary would be to incorporate commemoration events into the already planned port visits scheduled for 2008. These include the confirmed visit of the USS Kearsarge to Puerto Cabezas August 6-21, 2008 to undertake humanitarian operations including medical, dental and veterinary care, as well as humanitarian construction projects. A second opportunity would be during the potential visit of the USS Forrest Sherman to Puerto Corinto in July 2008. TRIVELLI