Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BRIDGETOWN716
2008-12-10 20:35:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bridgetown
Cable title:  

BARBADOS: SUSPENSION OF TITLE III OF THE LIBERTAD

Tags:  ETRD ETTC PREL PINR PGOV CU BB XL 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHWN #0716/01 3452035
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 102035Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6930
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0126
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J5 MIAMI FL
C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000716 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CCA AND WHA/CAR
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2018
TAGS: ETRD ETTC PREL PINR PGOV CU BB XL
SUBJECT: BARBADOS: SUSPENSION OF TITLE III OF THE LIBERTAD
ACT

REF: REF: STATE 126578

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires D. Brent Hardt for reasons 1.4(b) and
(d).

-------
Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000716

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CCA AND WHA/CAR
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2018
TAGS: ETRD ETTC PREL PINR PGOV CU BB XL
SUBJECT: BARBADOS: SUSPENSION OF TITLE III OF THE LIBERTAD
ACT

REF: REF: STATE 126578

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires D. Brent Hardt for reasons 1.4(b) and
(d).

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) Barbados and Cuba enjoy a close relationship. At the
2008 Caribbean Community-Cuba Summit, Barbados publicly
declared its commitment to deepening its relationship further
through increased bilateral collaboration and exchange in a
number of areas such as renewable energy, sports, health,
education, agriculture, engineering, disaster mitigation,
tourism, and science and technology. Barbados PM Thompson
called for an end to the U.S. trade
embargo of Cuba at the December 1-3 Caribbean-Central
American Action (CCAA) conference. End Summary.

--------------
Nature of Investments
--------------


2. (C) The Canadian energy company Sherritt
(www.sherritt.com) continues to operate two offshore
companies in Barbados that it uses as a platform for
investments in Cuba. The significant tax savings Canadian
companies enjoy in Barbados, coupled with Barbados' tax and
investment treaties with Cuba, mean there may be other
Canadian companies using offshore subsidiaries in Barbados to
enter the Cuban market. In 2008, the Barbados company
Mulberry Patch entered into a bilateral cooperation agreement
with the Cuban government to develop sericulture production
of silk worms. Post has no evidence of Barbadian companies
participating in FIHAV 2008.

--------------
Bilateral Trade Agreements
--------------


3. (C) The only known trade agreements between Barbados and
Cuba was a bilateral trade agreement "for the promotion and
protection of investments," signed in February 2006. The
objective of the agreement is to encourage reciprocal
protections and stimulate capital investment, business
development and economic prosperity. Barbados also ratified
a trade agreement between CARICOM and Cuba with similar
objectives, which was incorporated into Barbados' domestic

legislation in April 2006. In July 1999, Barbados concluded
a tax convention with Cuba to prevent double taxation and
fiscal evasion with respect to income taxation.

--------------
Exchange Programs
--------------


4. (U) Barbados has been the recipient of Cuban scholarships
and Cuban-paid medical travel for Barbadians in need of eye
surgery via the "Operacion Milagro" program. As of the end
of 2007 over 450 Barbadians had received free vision
correction surgery under the program. In 2008 there were 101
Barbadian students receiving some form of medical training in
Cuba. There is no wide-scale program to utilize Cuban
doctors in the local health care system. In addition,
Barbados requested assistance from Cuba to provide
specialized medical services for which there is no expertise
in Barbados and for Barbadian medical professionals to access
Cuban medical research and training institutions such as the
Pedro Kouri Institute of Tropical Medicine.


5. (U) Barbados and Cuba intend to develop other exchange
programs in the areas of sports development, primary
education, sugar cane production technologies, disaster
management, and the development of science and technology
institutions in both countries. Barbados and Cuba also
committed to exchange best practices in port security,
passenger and cargo handling, and cruise ship management.
The two sides also agreed to focus cooperation on renewable
energy development during a 2007 meeting between Commerce
Ministers.

--------------
Democracy and Human Rights Promotion
--------------


6. (C) Barbados has done nothing to advance democracy and

human rights in Cuba, but has instead shown solidarity with
Cuba in international fora, particularly on matters related
to the U.S. embargo. Barbados regularly votes to support
pro-Cuba resolutions in the United Nations and almost never
criticizes the Castro regime on its human rights record.

--------------
High-Level Visits
--------------


7. (C) Prime Minister David Thompson was in Havana on
December 8, 2008 attending the CARICOM-Cuba Summit. While at
the meeting PM Thompson called on the United States to remove
its trade embargo on Cuba. This followed closely on a
similar call by the PM in remarks in Miami at the annual
conference hosted by Caribbean-Central American Action
(CCAA).

--------------
Comment
--------------


8. (C) Barbados and Cuba have had solid diplomatic relations
for over thirty years and consider each other "Caribbean
brothers." Barbados' recent U.N. voting record on human
rights and democracy indicates that Barbados does not support
democracy and human rights in Cuba. PM Thompson's recent
calls in Miami and in Santiago de Cuba on the U.S. to end the
embargo on Cuba would seem to indicate that position is
unlikely to change.

HARDT
HARDT