UNCLAS PORT OF SPAIN 000292

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR WHA/CAR, WHA/EPSC AND INR/IAA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON EAGR ENRG TD
SUBJECT: THE OTHER SUMMIT: PRIME MINISTER MANNING OFFICIALY LAUNCHES
THE COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETING PROCESS


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Prime Minister Manning officially launched on June
30 the process that will lead to Port of Spain hosting the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November 2009.
In speaking of CHOGM, Manning posited that food security and energy
prices would be central focus of the meeting. He also raised
related environmental concerns, including global warming. Manning's
CHOGM rhetoric is in line with recent speeches he has given,
including at the recent AACCLA event here and in other fora.
Whether this portends greater weight given to these concerns in
Summit of the Americas deliberations, or is merely the rhetorical
flourish of the day, remains to be seen. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) While the USG is focused on the April 17-19, 2009 Summit of
the Americas (SOA) meeting in Port of Spain, a parallel process is
going on for a number of Commonwealth countries. Trinidad will host
the CHOGM in November 2009, including an expected visit by the
Queen. Our British colleagues are already planning for the event,
intending to multiply the current size of their diplomat staff from
two to fourteen to prepare for the event. The T&T Summit
Secretariat also is in charge of the CHOGM meeting, though it gives
the impression of not yet having fully focused on the latter event.



3. (SBU) In the CHOGM kickoff ceremony, attended by that
organization's Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma, PM Manning
stressed the responsibility of Commonwealth member states to meet
world problems head on and for rich nations to "no longer...be
excessive or wasteful." He spoke of the high price of energy, food
scarcity and costs and global warming and the instability problems
in these areas has and could produce. "Next year, here in Port of
Spain, we must, therefore, issue a call for greater and urgent
global action to save the planet and our civilization." He also
added that the spiraling cost of energy threatened to throw the
world into "a protracted global economic slowdown..." To counter
high fuel costs, some nations are now considering ramping up nuclear
power efforts, but "with this solution comes the threat of nuclear
proliferation in a world that is increasingly concerned with
terrorism." In an aside, Manning added that similar concerns would
be raised at the SOA meeting.


4. (SBU) Comment: Though T&T is blessed with energy resources,
rising food costs and overall inflation (largely driven by rapid
spending of oil/gas revenues) are a concern here. Over the last
several weeks, Manning has made several speeches where he has
touched on themes enunciated to Commonwealth delegations. His
Summit Coordinator, Luis Alberto Rodriguez, also has made some
remarks along these lines. Despite the "greenness" of portions of
his speech, and T&T being a top ten contributor to greenhouse gases
in per capita terms, the GOTT also has made clear that it sees the
burden of improving the world situation as falling on larger states.
Climate change was high on the agenda for the last Commonwealth
meeting in Uganda, where Manning reportedly took some knocks for not
taking sides in the debate. The PM's most recent comments probably
play well here and internationally, but so far, as regards, the SOA,
we have seen the government and its Summit team largely taking
measured stances.

AUSTIN