AMBASSADOR GARNERS POSITIVE PRESS IN ST. KITTS AND

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000045 SIPDIS SIPDIS WHA/CAR FOR ALAIN NORMAN ALSO FOR DS/ATA AND DS/IP/WHA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ASEC PTER PREL ECON EINV CVIS XL SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR GARNERS POSITIVE PRESS IN ST. KITTS AND NEVIS REF: 07 BRIDGETOWN 1256 ¶1. (U) Summary: During her January 10-11 visit to St. Kitts and Nevis, the Ambassador again drew attention to USG contributions to the Federation by attending two events at the Hamilton House in Nevis, and addressing a graduating Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA) Program class. As with the Ambassador's last visit to St. Kitts and Nevis in Fall 2007, this visit received extensive press interest and once again focused attention on our continued commitment to the region. End summary. ¶2. (U) Ambassador Ourisman traveled to Nevis on January 10th to attend celebrations for the opening of a permanent exhibit at the Hamilton house, entitled "Alexander Hamilton: The Man who Made Modern America." Consisting of panels provided by the Gilder Lehrman Institute in New York, the exhibit was made possible by the Embassy's previous donation of $40,000 USD to the museum last September (reftel). The Ambassador spoke at the "preview party" for the exhibition, highlighting Hamilton's contributions to the American political system as well as his roots in Nevis. Premier Joseph Parry, Deputy Premier Hensley Daniel, and Ambassador to the United States Izben Williams all attended. ¶3. (U) The Ambassador also attended the official opening of the exhibit on January 11th. Deputy Premier Hensley Daniel used the occasion to formerly award four scholarships from the Alexander Hamilton Scholarship Fund to Nevisian students. After the ceremony, the Ambassador gave a radio and television interview, explaining the contributions of Alexander Hamilton and his importance to both Nevis and the United States. ¶4. (U) In addition to the Hamilton house events, the Ambassador attended an ATA graduation ceremony, just as she did on her last official visit to St. Kitts (reftel). The Diplomatic Security Service sponsored an Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA) Program training course in St. Kitts from January 7-11, 2008, concentrating on fraudulent document detection. Thirty participants from police, immigration and customs agencies from six island nations participated, including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Ambassador Ourisman presented the keynote address and Minister of National Security Dwyer Astaphan also spoke at the ceremony. Both television and radio media covered the ATA graduation event and interviewed the Ambassador and the RSO. USG Still Looking Good in SKN -------------- ¶5. (U) Comment: Following the Ambassador's successful trip to St. Kitts and Nevis for national day in September, and other recent events in which the Embassy has donated books to various schools in the Federation, this latest trip once again shined the spotlight on United States re-engagement in the Eastern Caribbean. The events at the Hamilton house provided a context in which to highlight the close cultural and historic ties between St. Kitts/Nevis and the United States, while the ATA graduation once again demonstrated the USG's ongoing commitment to law enforcement and security cooperation in the region. End Comment. OURISMAN