CUBA, DEPORTEES AND SECURITY TOP AGENDA IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000041

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2024
TAGS: ETRD KCRM PGOV PREL XL ZL
SUBJECT: CUBA, DEPORTEES AND SECURITY TOP AGENDA IN
AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL CALLS IN ST. VINCENT

Classified By: CDA D. Brent Hardt, Reasons 1.4 (b/d)

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Summary
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1. (C) During the Ambassador's January 8 farewell call on
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph
Gonsalves, he called on the U.S. to unconditionally end its
economic embargo on Cuba. PM Gonsalves spoke at length about
the deep, strong ties that bind the United States and the
Caribbean, uncharacteristically rebuking Bolivian President
Morales for lacking basic pragmatism. The Ambassador thanked
Gonsalves for his efforts to work with the U.S. to combat
drug trafficking and money laundering and strengthen
regional security. She also reaffirmed expanding U.S.
support for combating HIV/AIDS in the region. End Summary.

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Security, Crime and Deportees
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2. (C) In a friendly and warm farewell call on January 8, the
Ambassador highlighted the importance of close security
cooperation between the U.S. and the Eastern Caribbean to
address the growing threats of crime and violence. The
Ambassador emphasized the U.S. desire to help the region
implement its own security solutions with our support. The
United States does not seek to impose solutions on the
region, she noted, but wanted regional leaders to take the
lead. The Ambassador invited the GOSVG to participate in
security training programs onboard the USNS Swift in Barbados
in January and March 2009. Gonsalves expressed his gratitude
to the Ambassador for her consistent support on security
issues, and assured her the GOSVG will take advantage of the
training opportunities.


3. (C) The Ambassador also congratulated the PM on the
efforts of SVG's newly formed Financial Investigations Unit
(FIU). The Ambassador singled out for strong praise the
unit's recent success in charging a high-value DEA suspect
with money laundering and the FIU's strong cooperation with
the Embassy's regional DEA office. Gonsalves explained that
he believed SVG's FIU to be the best in the region, noting
that he looks forward to even better cooperation in
the future as his unit becomes more seasoned. Gonsalves
highlighted the need for better cooperation in processing and
transitioning criminal deportees back into Caribbean society.
However, as his government also deports third country
nationals convicted of crimes in St. Vincent, he admitted
that he cannot blame the United States when it does the same
to his citizens when they are convicted of a crime in the
U.S.

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Gonsalves and Morales at Bahia Summit
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4. (c) Asked about the Bahia Summit in Brazil, Gonsalves
noted that the Caribbean has a relationship with the United
States that is unbreakable, "despite our episodic
differences." He added that Bolivian President Morales is
"not a mature man," and that, despite their personal
friendship, he had to bring Morales back to reality at the
summit by reminding the participants that the role and
presence of the U.S. in the region is a reality that cannot
be ignored.

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Cuba and U.S. Role in the Region
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5. (c) Gonsalves stayed on message as he addressed his
government's position on Cuba, emphasizing that CARICOM would
like to see the U.S. end its embargo. He said that he and
his colleagues were hopeful that the new administration would
take a different approach with Cuba. After his latest visit
to Havana, he noted, it was his sense that there is a genuine
desire to regularize relations with the U.S. (Note: Gonsalves
was in Cuba on December 8, 2008 attending the CARICOM-Cuba
Summit. End note.) Gonsalves called on the U.S. to move to
end the economic embargo without conditions, adding that "the
change that you will find in the Cuban society will be
unmistakable." The
Ambassador reassured the PM that the United States stands
ready to take a fresh look at relations with Cuba, but
pointed out that there has to be real, sustained democratic
change in that country for rapprochement to take place.
Releasing political prisoners, she noted, would be a clear

gesture of the regime's sincerity. This is an area where the
other nations of the Caribbean could be particularly helpful,
she pointed out. If they sincerely hoped to see a change,
encouraging Cuba to do the right thing on political prisoners
would be the best way to promote movement in that direction.

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Praise for HIV/AIDS Work
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6. (C) The Ambassador reaffirmed United States, support for
efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, and explained that the
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program
would soon include a first-ever regional program, which would
be supported in part from our Embassy in Barbados. PM
Gonsalves thanked the Ambassador for the work the USG has
done to combat the spread of HIV and was
particularly grateful for her efforts to ensure that the
small island states of the EC receive U.S. support and
attention as well as larger regional neighbors.

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Comment
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7. (C) Gonsalves was effusively appreciative of the
Ambassador's efforts during her tenure to forge a stronger
relationship with St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Gonsalves, decision to start the meeting off by emphasizing
the "unbreakable" nature of the U.S.-Caribbean relationship
coupled with his obvious desire to distance himself from
Morales and Chavez, may be an indication that he took to
heart the strong concerns we voiced over his letter to
CARICOM PM's earlier this year. The PM's comments in favor
of ending the embargo on Cuba echo identical comments from
all the PM's in the region in recent weeks. It would appear
that, coming out of the December 8 meeting in
Havana, they agreed to emphasize a unified message calling
for complete, unconditional normalization of U.S.-Cuba
relations ) which has long been the Caribbean position.
This unity is notable since the leaders of the Eastern
Caribbean are rarely this unified about any international
issue. While many
of our rank-and-file MFA contacts in the region question the
utility of choosing Cuba as the first issue on which to
engage the new administration, since it brings no tangible
benefits, they concede that many of the leaders in the EC
hold solidarity with Cuba as a sort of banner of their
sovereignty and solidarity with their long lionized Caribbean
neighbor.
HARDT