T&T NOT WILLING TO ASSIST NEW WAY FORWARD ON IRAQ

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT OF SPAIN 000436 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR PM/RSAT, WHA/CAR E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/02/2017 TAGS: IZ MARR MAS MOPS PREL PTER TD SUBJECT: T&T NOT WILLING TO ASSIST NEW WAY FORWARD ON IRAQ REF: STATE 55436 ¶1. (C) Embassy Port of Spain believes the GOTT would not respond favorably to any USG requests for troops to supplement the coalition forces in Iraq. This country has historically been opposed to sending its troops, however few in number, on military missions overseas and, even within the region, has restricted use of its military to humanitarian missions during natural disasters, as in the case of Grenada in 2005. ¶2. (C) The Iraq campaign has been quite unpopular in this country. It is our further assessment that any serious consideration of a US request for troops or civilian resources would immediately be politicized in this election year and used by opposition parties to browbeat the Government in the impending election campaign. END CABLE. AUSTIN