(C) SCENESETTER AND READ-AHEAD FOR THE VISIT OF DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES TO PARAMARIBO, SURINAME SATURDAY AFTERNOON OCTOBER 6, 2007

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PARAMARIBO 000501



SIPDIS



SIPDIS



FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES

FROM AMBASSADOR LISA BOBBIE SCHREIBER HUGHES



E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2017

TAGS: PGOV, PREL, MARR, NS

SUBJECT: (C) SCENESETTER AND READ-AHEAD FOR THE VISIT OF

DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES TO PARAMARIBO, SURINAME

SATURDAY AFTERNOON OCTOBER 6, 2007





CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR LBSH FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).





1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Everyone at Embassy Paramaribo

joins me in welcoming you to Suriname. During your half-

day visit we plan a bilateral meeting between yourself and

Surinamese Defense Minister Ivan Fernald (briefing

material will be sent SEPTEL),a short courtesy call

with Surinamese President Runaldo Ronald Venetiaan

(briefing material will be sent SEPTEL),and of course, a

visit, together with Minister of Defense Fernald, aboard the

USNS Comfort. END SUMMARY



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Suriname Overview and International Relations

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2. (SBU) Suriname, formerly known as Dutch Guiana and

independent from the Netherlands since 1975, lies on the

northeastern coast of South America. It is approximately

the size of Georgia, has a population of less than half a

million, and has traditionally been the Dutch-speaking

"misfit" of the Western Hemisphere. A member of the UN,

OAS, CARICOM, NAM, and the Islamic Conference,

Suriname's political traditions, culture, history, and

immigration ties are neither Spanish/Portuguese (like most

of South and Central America),nor British/French

(like most of the Caribbean). Although migration trends,

economic assistance, and remittances still keep Surinamers

looking to the Netherlands (home to an estimated 300,000

Dutch/Surinamese),historic resentments and ethnic and

cultural differences also mean that Suriname does not align

easily with Europe. Consequently, it seeks to expand

its ties with China, India, and Indonesia as part of a foreign

policy initiative to reduce dependency on the Dutch.



3. (SBU) In the region, Suriname has received sustained,

well-publicized medical assistance from Cuba, in part

funded by Venezuela. This very successful program seems

to be helping Cuba and Venezuela gain popular support

among ordinary Surinamers. Suriname enjoys good <br />
relations with neighbors Brazil and France (French

Guiana). A border dispute in the interior and a maritime

dispute (to be decided imminently by ILOS) complicates

Suriname's relationship with Guyana, and remains an

emotional issue for many Surinamers. An anti-Guyana bias

permeates Surinamese society, in part due to the border

dispute.



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U.S.-Suriname Bilateral Relations

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4. (SBU) Except in the 1980's, when then-military dictator

Desi Bouterse's friendly relationship with Daniel Ortega

and Fidel Castro kept Suriname on the map of U.S. foreign

policy priorities, in recent years the country has received

scant attention from U.S. policy makers. Nor does

Suriname receive appreciable development assistance from

the United States.



5. (SBU) For its part, the Government of Suriname (GOS)

often demonstrates a lack of affinity for United States

Government (USG) foreign policy priorities. For example,

Suriname supports the one-China policy. It either

abstained, or voted against, virtually every issue important

to the USG in the 2006 UN General Assembly. U.S.-

Suriname relations are "cordial and correct," but they are

not "warm." There are, however, two exceptions to this

generalization: our defense relationship with the Ministry

of Defense (MOD) and the Suriname Defense Forces

(SDF),and with the law enforcement community of the

Ministry of Justice and Police. Not coincidentally,

these are the only two Ministries that in the past could

regularly count on USG development assistance (modest

amounts of IMET, FMF, and INCLE).



6. (SBU) Through our Embassy in Paramaribo, the USG's

short-term goals in Suriname remain four-fold:

strengthening the police and judiciary; helping

professionalize journalists and the military; investing in

people (including the fight against HIV/AIDS) and the

environment; and encouraging measures to facilitate

economic growth and investment. However, our longer-

term strategic goal is to transform our bilateral relationship



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into an overall positive partnership whereby the United

States can count on Suriname as a friendly partner (on a

case-by-case basis) in international forums such as

the UN and OAS, and Suriname can count on the United

States to recognize that this tiny country can be relevant to

U.S. strategic interests in both the Caribbean region and the

South American continent.



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Military Coups, Desi Bouterse, and the

December Murders of 1982

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7. (C) Independent in 1975, Suriname suffered military

coups in 1980 and 1990; civilian rule was re-established in

1992. Under the control of Desi Bouterse, who

led the first military coup, the military government

executed 15 prominent citizens in 1982 for their opposition

to the regime. In early 2005 the Government of

Suriname notified Bouterse, who remains active in politics

and is a sitting member of Parliament, of its intent to

prosecute him and 23 other suspects for the murders. The

start date of the trial is now projected for October 2007,

but the GOS is unlikely to adhere to this timeframe. If the

trial proceeds and a guilty verdict for Bouterse looks

possible, there are concerns that Bouterse might take

destabilizing actions to avoid incarceration, although some

question his financial and logistical capacity to do so.

Nevertheless, the government's willingness to hold the

trial will depend both on its fear of Bouterse's political

calculation and on judicial procedure.



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Civilian / Military Relations

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8. (U) Since military rule ended in Suriname, there has

been a strained relationship between the civilian

government and the armed forces. In 1992, during President

Venetiaan's first of three terms, the civilian authority

took bold steps to strip the military of its overreaching

constitutional powers, despite strong protests from the

military. Venetiaan and several of his close associates

had been detained by the military during the military regime.

During Venetiaan's last term, his Minister of Defense was

disliked by many in the armed forces who perceived him as

unresponsive to their needs. Since being installed two

years ago the current Minister, Ivan Fernald, has been more

engaged with members of the armed forces. However, to

date he has failed to bring much-needed resources and

training, nor any noticeable change in civilian-

military relations.



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Criminal activity pervasive, just below the surface

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9. (C) Although Suriname is not an openly violent society,

the rule of law is nevertheless under threat. Suriname

is a major transshipment point for South American cocaine

en route to Europe and, to a lesser degree, to the United

States. Members of the Colombian terrorist group the

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are

widely believed to operate arms-for-drugs activities here.

The government's inability to control its borders and the

lack of a law enforcement presence in the largely

unmonitored interior allow traffickers to move drug

shipments via sea, river, and air with little if any

resistance. Suriname lacks the resources to properly equip

the marine and air wings of its national military, which

are responsible for protecting its borders--a mission which

may be transferred to a yet-to-be established Coast Guard.



Note: There is some skepticism amongst experts of GOS's

ability to stand up a Coast Guard. These problems are

compounded by inadequate resources and legislation,

complicated bureaucratic requirements, drug related

corruption, relative geographic isolation, and weak

judicial institutions.



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Economy Stable, but not Sustainable

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10. (U) The United States remains Suriname's largest



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trading partner. Largely thanks to high commodity prices,

the Surinamese economy has stabilized over the last six

years after the deep economic decline and high inflation of

the late 1990s. However, the GOS has not implemented the

reforms necessary to liberalize its economy and realize its

full economic potential, particularly should commodity

prices fall. Income from the bauxite sector, dominated by

SURALCO, a subsidiary of U.S. based ALCOA, accounts

for more than 30% of GDP and about 60-70% of export

earnings. Higher world prices for gold have led to

the increased value of Suriname's second-most mined

mineral. Lumber, fishing, and agriculture are other major

industries. Three international oil companies, Occidental,

Repsol YPF, and Noble Energy, have formed a joint

venture with the state oil company, Staatsolie, to prospect

offshore for the significant oil and gas reserves predicted

by a recent U.S. Geological Survey study.



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Internal Politics

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11. (U) With an area previously noted as roughly equal to

the state of Georgia and a population of only 492,000,

Suriname is one of the least densely populated countries in

the world. It is an ethnically diverse land with people of

East Indian, African, Indonesian, Chinese, and European

descent whose constant wrangling for pieces of the pie

color Suriname's economic and political atmosphere. On

May 25, 2005 Suriname held its third successive free and

fair election since the restoration of democracy. President

Ronald Venetiaan's ruling New Front coalition, which

consisted of three ethnically-based parties and one labor

union party, lost its simple majority in the National

Assembly. Desi Bouterse's NDP (National Democratic

Party) better than doubled its representation in the National

Assembly but still fell short of an effective governing

majority. To form a working majority, the New Front

joined with a Maroon-based coalition (Maroon is the

term to describe the descendants of escaped slaves) which

had parliamentary seats for the first time, and with a one-

seat progressive party. After two National Assembly votes

for president, no candidate received the required two-

thirds of votes, pushing the final decision in August 2005 to

the United Peoples' Assembly (a special, expanded

body including national, district, and local level

representatives),where President Venetiaan won another

five-year term with a significant majority of votes.

Presidential elections are next scheduled for

2010.



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Visit of Secretary Gates and USN Hospital

Ship Comfort will demonstrate USG

commitment to Suriname, and to the region

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12. (SBU) We expect that the week-long deployment of

the USNS Comfort together with your arrival as our only

Cabinet-level visitor in recent memory will demonstrate to

President Venetiaan, Defense Minister Fernald, and the

government and people of Suriname that the United States

has a strong commitment to this country, and to the region.

Moreover, we hope that your visit will be further evidence

that the USG is committed to support the professionalization of

Suriname's armed forces, to strong civil-military relations,

and to democracy and the rule of law in Suriname. We

welcome your visit.



SCHREIBER HUGHES