JULY 21 FAREWELL CALLS ON GRENADIAN OFFICIALS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GRENADA 000069 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAR: JMITCHELL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL GJ SUBJECT: JULY 21 FAREWELL CALLS ON GRENADIAN OFFICIALS REF: A. GRENADA 67 ¶B. STATE 73869 Summary ¶1. (SBU) During Chargi d'Affaires Karen Jo McIsaac's July 21 farewell calls, Government of Grenada officials thanked the United States for its continuing assistance to Grenada. The Minister for Foreign Affairs called for U.S. Government increase assistance levels and issue visas in country, based on the "special relationship" between Grenada and the United States. The Prime Minister complained about criminal deportees to the region. The Leader of the Opposition described the current PM as weak. End summary. FM Seeks More Assistance and Local Visa Processing ¶2. (SBU) Minister for Foreign Affairs, Peter David, expressed concern to the Chargi that U.S. assistance to Grenada should continue and be expanded. David reiterated repeatedly that Grenada values the "special relationship" it enjoys with the United States, based on "our common history" (especially the 1983 intervention). The Chargi followed up on a letter to the Prime Minister from several U.S. Congressmen and recent Department demarche asking that Grenada actively recognize Kosovo's independence (reftels). She reminded the Minister that the United States takes votes in international organizations seriously and said we hoped Grenada's voting record would support efforts to uphold human rights around the world. ¶3. (SBU) David asked whether visas might again be issued in Grenada, as requiring Grenadians to apply in Bridgetown was becoming an increasing hardship. The Chargi pointed out the difficulties of handling visas in a small post such as Embassy Grenada and declined to be pinned down on whether this might change in the future. Governor General Conveys Gratitude for U.S. Support ¶4. (SBU) Grenada's Governor General, Sir Carlyle Glean, was finally knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on July 14, eight months after he was sworn in. During a July 21 meeting, he thanked the Chargi for her work in Grenada. Glean also thanked her for providing information to him about the National Geographic Geo-Tourism model which he said he was planning to use as he engages with Grenadians on development projects. He had just returned from Carriacou (the second largest island in the tri-island state of Grenada) where he said he thought the model would work especially well. PM Thomas Welcomes Assistance, Laments Deportees ¶5. (SBU) Prime Minister Tillman Thomas thanked the United States for its significant assistance following Hurricane Ivan (2004) which was vital to the country's rebuilding process. He expressed satisfaction with the April 2009 Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain and Grenada's part in providing support by allowing ten F15 fighter jets to stage security flights from the island. The Chargi thanked him again for the tremendous support the mission received from the GOG on very short notice. She noted that the military command was impressed by the level of support and the flexibility shown by the GOG. The Chargi said that U.S security. assistance would continue, adding that there would be additional anti-HIV/AIDS assistance coming to the region from which Grenada would benefit. She also reminded the PM that a USAID youth development program to address his concerns about at-risk youth would come online in October 2009. ¶6. (SBU) Among the issues the PM raised with Chargi was criminal deportees from the United States to the region. Thomas religiously brings the topic up in conversations with USG officials, although when pressed, he acknowledges that statistics provided to his government by the U.S. about deportees to Grenada show that the deportees for the most part are not involved in crime in Grenada. The Commissioner of Police and Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) officers have admitted as much to Chargi on several occasions. Thomas then accused the United States of deporting an American citizen to Grenada. The Chargi responded that she was not aware of any cases of Americans being deported to Grenada, adding that such an action would be contrary to U.S. law. While there was a case of a Grenadian deportee in 2007 who claimed that he was an American citizen and should not have been deported, the Chargi had checked with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about the case and learned that the individual was neither a legal permanent resident nor an American citizen. He had entered the U.S. on a non-immigrant visa and overstayed. ¶7. (SBU) Thomas asked whether a perceived promise made to him by President Bush during a 2008 meeting to assist in the rebuilding GRENADA 00000069 002 OF 002 Government House (the seat of Grenada's Parliament) would be honored. Embassy Bridgetown forwarded the request to Washington under the auspices of the Public Affairs cultural preservation program in 2008. The Chargi promised to keep the project in mind for possible future submission without committing the U.S. to anything. ¶8. (SBU) The PM promised that Grenada would fix the staffing of the country's Consulate General in New York City. An American citizen has been acting as CG in New York, in violation of the rules for an official bilateral presence. Thomas did not say whether they would close the official office and appoint an honorary consul or find a Grenadian who is neither a U.S. citizen nor a permanent resident, to fill the position. Opposition Leader Sees Weak Governance and Chaos ¶9. (SBU) The Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Keith Mitchell met briefly with Chargi. Mitchell, appearing relaxed and happy to no longer have the responsibility of being Prime Minister, told the Chargi that he is concerned that PM Thomas is too weak to manage his ministers. The ministers appear to do what they want, when they want, paying only lip service to the PM's directives, leading to chaotic governance. Mitchell said it was particularly damaging to Thomas' ability to run the country when, during a June visit to New York City, he admitted that he needed to reshuffle his cabinet and then did not follow through. Mitchell suggested that several of the ministers were taking advantage of that weakness to the detriment of the country. Mitchell also thanked the U.S. for its assistance over the years and particularly after Hurricane Ivan in 2004. He asked that the United States remain actively engaged with Grenada. Comment ¶10. (SBU) Grenadian officials are genuinely pleased with the assistance Grenada receives from the United States. However, they appear baffled by what they perceive as U.S. indifference to the so-called "special relationship based on our shared history," as FM David puts it. The irony of course is that David avoids most events publicly extolling that relationship, including last year's twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1983 intervention by the U.S. and Caribbean forces to help restore order in Grenada after the country's revolutionary government imploded. David has never taken us up on our offers to arrange appointments with appropriate Administration officials when he is in Washington, though he has taken multiple trips there since the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won a majority of the seats in Parliament on July 8, 2008 general elections. David was a captain in the People's Revolutionary Army (PRA),active in revolutionary affairs, and remains very close to the Government of Cuba. End comment. MCISAAC