GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT FEBRUARY 3 - 9, 2008

UNCLAS GRENADA 000020

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL MARR EPET ECPS EFIN GJ
SUBJECT: GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT FEBRUARY 3 - 9, 2008



1. (U) Embassy Grenada's weekly activity report (GWAR) provides
a little detail about events of interest that do not merit
longer reporting at this time.


2. (U) Begin GWAR text:


A. Official Hand-over to GOG of Emergency Operation Centers
Ambassador Mary Ourisman on February 6, 2008 officially handed
over to the Grenada Government two Emergency Operation Centers
(EOCs),gifts from the people and Government of the United
States to the Government and people of Grenada. The project was
funded by the United States Southern Command under a program
called the Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) and managed by
the USMLO (Military Liaison Office at the US Embassy
Bridgetown). The estimated cost for the two EOC's was US$1.2
million.


B. Grenadians Send Letter To Chavez
Over 100 Grenadians marched to the Venezuelan Embassy in St.
George's last week to present a letter to newly arrived
Venezuelan Ambassador Ali Diaz Ascanio demanding that Caracas
revive boundary delimitation talks with Grenada. The marchers
believe that it is in the interest of the OECS to work together
since oil and gas finds in the waters of Grenada and other
countries of the OECS could provide a major boost for their
small economies. The marchers were predominantly from two
politically floundering opposition parties, the Grenada United
Labour Party (GULP) and the People's Labour Movement (PLM).

Not to be outdone, the shadow Minister for Finance in the main
opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC),Nazim Burke,
subsenquently called for closer cooperation among member
countries of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
regarding the delimitation of maritime boundaries with Venezuela.


C. Cable & Wireless Shares For Sale
The Government of Grenada announced plans to sell two-thirds of
its shares in Cable and Wireless, the number one
telecommunications provider on the island, to the people. While
commending the move, the opposition NDC warned of possible
wasting by the GOG of the monies collected from the sale.
According to the Grenada Advocate newspaper, the government said
the decision to sell shares is part of its fiscal reform
strategy, which is supported by the IMF and the World Bank.

MCISAAC