JAMAICA/VENEZUELA: PRIME MINISTER BRUCE GOLDING'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINGSTON 000651 SIPDIS DEPT PASS CENTRAL AMERICAN CARIBBEAN BASIN COLLECTIVE DEPT FOR WHA/CAR - ANDRE CADIEUX, VELIA DE PIRRO INR/IAA - BOB CARHART WHA/EPSC - MATT ROONEY INL/LP - NATALIA BOZZOLO INL/G-TIP - BARBARA FLECK TREASURY FOR ERIN NEPHEW JUSTICE FOR ROBERT LIPMAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/22/2018 TAGS: PREL EPET EINV PINR ECON SOCI EFIN KCOR UNSC VE, JM, XL SUBJECT: JAMAICA/VENEZUELA: PRIME MINISTER BRUCE GOLDING'S EMBRACE OF PETROCARIBE A MATTER OF ECONOMIC EXPEDIENCE REF: A. 06 KINGSTON 1874 (211316Z SEP 06)(NOTAL) ¶B. CARACAS 976 (152123Z JUL 08)(NOTAL) ¶C. 07 KINGSTON 215 (131150Z FEB 07)(NOTAL) ¶D. 07 KINGSTON 393 (211315Z MAR 07)(NOTAL) ¶E. 07 KINGSTON 1793 (182031Z DEC 07)(NOTAL) ¶F. KINGSTON 95 (301750Z JAN 08)(NOTAL) ¶G. KINGSTON 97 (301957Z JAN 08)(NOTAL) Classified By: Charge' James T. Heg, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 1.(C) In the course of a two-hour private meeting with Ambassador Johnson, local U.K. High Commissioner Jeremy Cresswell, and local Canadian High Commissioner Dennis Kingsley on July 20, Prime Minister (PM) Bruce Golding made the following observations: (A) The USA had "abandoned" Jamaica and "left it to flounder alone like a small fish in the sea." Washington was "ignoring the whole Caribbean, and Chavez is picking up the pieces." (B) In light of Washington's recent support for Guatemala's candidacy in order to prevent Venezuela from winning a seat on the UNSC (ref A),it was ironic that Guatemala now had been admitted to membership in PetroCaribe at the recently concluded summit in Maracaibo (ref B). Background and Analysis -------------- 2.(C) Golding's remarks come in the wake of his recent announcement of a USD5 million contribution to the ALBA/PetroCaribe Fund, which made Jamaica the only contributing country other than Venezuela. Historically, his ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has viewed Venezuela's political influence in the Caribbean with suspicion (ref C). Ironically, in the run-up to the national election of September, 2007, which returned the JLP to power after eighteen years in opposition, then-candidate Golding expressed grave concern over Chavez's growing influence (refs D,E). Since taking office, Jamaica's exceptionally heavy dependence on imported oil and weak currency have led Golding to view participation in PetroCaribe as a matter of economic expedience. Reftels (F) and (G) provide the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade's internal briefing document on Jamaican-Venezuelan relations prepared for the newly-elected PM Golding. MOSS