(U) Secretary Rice's June 18 Meeting

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 STATE 087143

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/20/2027
TAGS: OVIP RICE CONDOLEEZZA PREL ETRD ENRG
SNAR, CU, XL
SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Rice's June 18 Meeting
with CARICOM Foreign Ministers

Classified by: Thomas A. Shannon, Assistant Secretary,
S/ES, Department of State. Reason 1.4. (d)


1. (U) June 18, 2007, 3:15 p.m.-5:05 p.m., Washington.


2. (U) Participants:

United States
The Secretary
WHA A/S Thomas A. Shannon
WHA/DAS Patrick D. Duddy
Ambassador Robert Dieter
Ambassador Brenda Johnson
Ambassador Mary Ourisman
Ambassador David Robinson
Ambassador Janet Sanderson
CDA Brent Hardt
WHA/CAR Brian A. Nichols
Michael Fortin (notetaker)

Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
FM Lisa M. Shoman, Belize, Chair
SYG Edwin Carrington, CARICOM
PM Baldwin Spencer, Antigua & Barbuda
D/PM Brent Symonette, The Bahamas
FM Dame Billie A. Miller, Barbados
FM Charles Savarin, Dominica
AMB Denis G. Antoine, Grenada
FM Samuel Insanally, Guyana
FM Jean Renald Clerisme, Haiti
FM Anthony Hylton, Jamaica
FM Dr. Timothy Harris, St. Kitts & Nevis
A/PM Stephenson King, St. Lucia
D/PM Sir Louis Straker, St. Vincent & the
Grenadines
AMB Manorma Soeknandan, Suriname
FM Arnold Piggott, Trinidad & Tobago

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SUMMARY
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3. (C) The Secretary met CARICOM Foreign
Ministers to kick off the Conference on the
Caribbean. The Secretary explained that the
USG planned to explore ways to update the U.S.-
CARICOM trade relationship, particularly by
working with Congress to modernize the
Caribbean Basin Trade Preference Act (CBTPA)
and the Trade and Investment Framework
Agreement (TIFA),both within the context of
the Trade and Investment Committee. She also
laid out plans to expand assistance to
reintegrate Caribbean deportees beyond the
current USAID funded program in Haiti.
Caribbean Foreign Ministers requested U.S.
contributions to their Regional Development
Fund, expanded training and assistance to
combat transnational crime, and an expansion of
HIV/AIDS programs. The two-hour meeting -
focused on investing in people, security,
economic growth, and governance and democracy -
fulfilled the Secretary's March 2006 commitment
in Nassau, The Bahamas to host a series of
government to government and people to people
sessions under the auspices of the Conference
on the Caribbean in Washington.

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OPENING REMARKS AND PHOTOS
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4. (C) After a brief photo-op, the Secretary
opened the meeting by welcoming her
counterparts; reviewing the depth of our
collaboration since meeting with CARICOM in
Nassau, The Bahamas in March, 2006; and
welcoming Foreign Minister Shoman, Belize, as
the newest CARICOM foreign minister and the
chair of CARICOM foreign ministers. (Note - FM
Shoman was previously Belize's ambassador to
the United States. End Note) Foreign Minister
Shoman then opened for CARICOM by describing
this meeting and the upcoming POTUS meeting as

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SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Rice's June 18 Meeting
with CARICOM Foreign Ministe
"signature" events between CARICOM and the
United States; that these were not/not routine
meetings, but served instead as opportunities
to increase the frequency and depth of
engagement.

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INVESTING IN PEOPLE
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5. (C) On education and health, Foreign
Minister Harris (St. Kitts and Nevis) outlined
CARICOM's priorities and intermittently pointed
to U.S. assistance with teacher training and
HIV/AIDS as examples of valuable partnerships.
He pressed for expanded access to PEPFAR and
reiterated the need for added education
assistance. Foreign Minister Savarin
(Dominica) lent context to Harris' remarks by
explaining how education and health challenges
could delay full implementation of their
CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and
even sought U.S. assistance in providing fiscal
support to CSME implementation through
donations to their CARICOM Regional Development
Fund(RDF). Noting education and health as
important democratic foundations, the Secretary
agreed to further our cooperation by working to
expand the USAID Caribbean Centers for
Excellence in Teacher Training and to initiate
a new public-private partnership devoted to
21st century job-skills education.

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SECURITY FOR ALL
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6. (C) Trinidadian Foreign Minister Pigott
thanked the Secretary for U.S. support for the
Cricket World Cup. He reiterated their
commitment to cementing regional security
arrangements and requested continued help with
training, consulting, and technical assistance.
CARICOM also requested full restoration of
military assistance, assistance in
reintegrating deportees, and deeper
counterterrorism assistance - specifically in
the areas of surveillance and law enforcement
training.


7. (C) Foreign Minister Symonette (The
Bahamas) discussed environmental security
challenges facing CARICOM, including disaster
preparedness and the impact of global climate
change. He specifically praised existing
disaster management partnerships with
USSOUTHCOM and sought targeted assistance from
FEMA, USGS, and NOAA. Praising recent
cooperation in thwarting the JFK Airport plot,
the Secretary reminded CARICOM ministers of the
value of prevention and institutions,
specifically that progress in one or more areas
has beneficial spillover effects. She pledged
to strengthen OAS counterterrorism training, to
assist with counter arms trafficking, to work
to conclude a memorandum of understanding to
allow U.S. Air Marshals to serve on Caribbean
flights, and to create a comprehensive deportee
assistance package, which would include
enhanced information sharing and reintegration.
On the environment, the Secretary acknowledged
further NOAA cooperation and a joint need to
increase climate science cooperation, citing
the positive correlation between economic
growth and good environmental stewardship.

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TRADE
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8. (C) Foreign Minister Miller (Barbados)
personally thanked the Secretary for her
commitment to ensuring a successful conference,
noting that after years of trying, the
Secretary's engagement had made the event a

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reality. On trade matters, Miller wasted no
time by specifically requesting the Secretary's
help in arranging a near-term meeting with USTR
Schwab. Not surprisingly, she reiterated
CARICOM's concern with the impending expiration

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of the Caribbean Basin Trade Promotion Act
(CBTPA) in September 2008 and their hopes that
the President would signal his willingness to
support a successor arrangement to CBTPA during
the Summit on Wednesday, June 20. CARICOM
enthusiastically supported our proposed Customs
partnership and efforts to update the 1993
Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. FM
Miller stated that following an updated CBI
preference, CARICOM would be ready to engage on
difficult trade discussions.

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ENERGY
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9. (C) Moving to energy issues, Foreign
Minister Hylton (Jamaica) explained CARICOM's
95% dependency on fossil fuels and welcomed
U.S. biofuels cooperation. He urged expanded
technical support for development of solar,
wind, and geothermal alternatives. In this
regard, Hylton welcomed our proposal to
negotiate a Science and Technology (S&T)
agreement. He further noted interest in
pursuing the One Laptop Per Child program for
CARICOM.



10. (C) Secretary Rice agreed that we should
not simply review the TIFA or trade preference
programs, rather work more closely to account
for subsequent changes to our economies. She
noted the Customs Initiative, S&T Agreement,
and Biofuels cooperation as positive, tangible
ways to work together to strengthen our
economic cooperation. Specifically, the
Secretary challenged CARICOM to work with us to

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complete the S&T agreement by the end of 2008.
On a meeting with USTR Schwab, Secretary Rice
agreed to encourage Schwab to meet with CARICOM
as soon as possible.


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GOVERNANCE AND DEMOCRACY
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11. (C) CARICOM reiterated their commitment to
good governance, belief in a "democracy
dividend," and strong historic institutions
within the region. Foreign Minister Insanally
(Guyana) reiterated CARICOM's commitment to and
belief in the values as outlined in the
InterAmerican Democratic Charter. However, he
noted CARICOM members often want to demonstrate
their commitment to such democratic values, but
lack the government capacity to comply with the
myriad of international commitments in
multilateral fora.

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Closing
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12. (C) In closing, Secretary Rice
acknowledged CARICOM's commitment to such
values and remarked that the challenge to
existing democracies, such as CARICOM, often
lies in the need to strengthen institutions.
Commenting that rule of law remains at the core
of such strength, Secretary Rice explained that
institutions must be challenged in both
strength and spirit. In this regard and as a
matter of common concern, she urged CARICOM
ministers to speak out for a democratically
elected government in Cuba. She reminded the
ministers of the non-negotiable demands of
human dignity and the fundamental rights of all
citizens to think, speak, and choose leaders
freely. Without judging CARICOM members'
relations with Cuba, she commented on the
importance of engaging with like-minded
democracies on matters of individual rights and
human dignity.


13. (C) FM Straker (St. Vincent and the Grenadines)
expressed the need to find mechanisms to implement the
common goals shared during the meeting. He thanked the

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Secretary, her team, and the Caucus of Caribbean

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Ambassadors in Washington for organizing the Conference and
invited the Secretary to travel to the region before the
end of her tenure in 2008.
RICE