REVIEW FOR SUSPENSION OF TITLE III OF THE LIBERTAD

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000295 SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CCA - GABRIELA ZAMBRANO E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2019 TAGS: ETRD ETTC PREL CU XL SUBJECT: REVIEW FOR SUSPENSION OF TITLE III OF THE LIBERTAD ACT: ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES REF: STATE 48487 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. D. Brent Hardt, reasons 1.4 (b, d). ¶1. (C) Response to reftel inquiries for St. Vincent and the Grenadines follows. - Has the host country, in Post's opinion, worked to promote the advancement of democracy and human rights in Cuba? No, St. Vincent and the Grenadines has not sought to advance democracy and human rights in Cuba. - Has the host country made public statements or undertaken other governmental actions, such as resolutions in the national assemblies condemning human rights abuses in Cuba; or actions in support of civil society in Cuba through host country's diplomatic missions or other fora? No, the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has not undertaken any such actions. - Have there been any high-level diplomatic visits between Cuba and the host country in the past six months? Yes, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves visited Cuba in December 2008 to attend a CARICOM-Cuba summit meeting. - What is the nature of investments (and names, if known) that host country businesses have in Cuba? There are no St. Vincent and the Grenadines businesses known to have investments in Cuba. - Are there any bilateral trade agreements or other cooperative agreements between host country and Cuba? Yes. St. Vincent and the Grenadines has active bilateral tax and investment treaties with Cuba. In addition, CARICOM has a trade agreement with Cuba that St. Vincent and the Grenadines has ratified. - Are there any exchange programs between host country and Cuba, including but not limited to: scholarships for host country nationals to study in Cuba; Cuban-paid medical travel for host country nationals; and Cuban doctors working in host country? Yes. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the recipient of Cuban scholarships and Cuban-paid medical travel for St. Vincent and the Grenadines nationals in need of eye surgery. Cuban doctors do work in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, but there is no wide-scale program to utilize them in the local health care system. HARDT