TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - LIBERTAD ACT TITLE III REVIEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT OF SPAIN 000541

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CCA AND WHA/CAR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/31/2017
TAGS: ETRD ETTC PREL CU TD
SUBJECT: TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - LIBERTAD ACT TITLE III REVIEW

REF: A. STATE 65523


B. 06 POS 1432

C. 07 POS 166

D. 07 POS 278

Classified By: DCM Eugene Sweeney, reasons 1.4 (b/d)

(U) This message responds to reftel questions.


1. (C) QUESTION: What is the nature of investments that host
country businesses have in Cuba?

ANSWER: Post is aware of no Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) companies
or individuals with significant presence or investments in
Cuba.


2. (C) QUESTION: Are there any bilateral trade agreements
between host country and Cuba?

ANSWER: Trinidad & Tobago does not have a bilateral trade
agreement with Cuba, but as a member of CARICOM, T&T has
ratified the trade agreement between CARICOM and Cuba. In
2006 T&T established a trade office in Cuba, to serve as a
conduit between T&T manufacturers and Cuban state companies.
The T&T Business Development Corporation, a public company
affiliated with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, is
organizing a trade mission to Cuba, scheduled for September

2007.


3. (C) QUESTION: Are there any exchange programs between host
country and Cuba, including but not limited to: scholarships
for host country nationals to study in Cuba; Cuban-paid
medical travel for host country nationals; and Cuban doctors
working in host country?

ANSWER: GOTT Health Minister John Rahael announced on April
30 that twenty-two Cuban doctors and nineteen Cuban nurses
are scheduled to begin two-year contracts in T&T starting
this month (May 2007),replacing seventy Cuban medical
personnel whose contracts to serve in T&T expired earlier
this year. Prime Minister Manning has told us he does not
want to expand this cooperation.

As reported reftel (D),in March the GOTT Cabinet agreed in
principle to an organic farming project with Cuba, following
up on PM Manning's October 2006 announcement of plans to draw
on Cuban "expertise" in organic farming for two of ten
planned large-scale farms intended to stimulate domestic
agricultural production.


4. (C) QUESTION: Has the host country, in Post's opinion,
worked to promote the advancement of democracy and human
rights in Cuba? This can include: public statements or other
governmental actions, such as resolutions in the national
assemblies condemning human rights abuses in Cuba; statements
in support of democracy following the July 31, 2006 handover
of power from Fidel to Raul Castro; actions in support of
civil society in Cuba through host country's diplomatic
missions or other fora.

ANSWER: Post is not aware of any GOTT initiatives in support
of promoting democracy and human rights in Cuba.


5. (C) QUESTION: Have there been any high-level diplomatic
visits between Cuba and host country in the past six months?

ANSWER: As reported reftel (C),Minister of Health John
Rahael led a team of senior officials to Cuba on an 8-day
visit to recruit doctors and nurses. Separately, the GOTT
has announced its intention to open an embassy in Havana, and
MFA sources have informed us that Donna Henry, currently
Chief of the Ministry,s Division of Administration, has been
nominated as the first GOTT Ambassador to Cuba. However,
definitive dates for opening the embassy and for the public
announcement of Ms. Henry,s appointment have yet to be set.


6. (C) Post believes it is in the U.S. national interest to
suspend Title III of the Libertad Act for Trinidad & Tobago,
based on T&T's contribution to U.S. energy security as a
reliable supplier of oil and gas and its importance as an
economic leader in the eastern Caribbean.
AUSTIN