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