GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT FOR JANUARY 25 - 31, 2009

UNCLAS GRENADA 000008 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM SOCI PGOV PREL GJ SUBJECT: GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT FOR JANUARY 25 - 31, 2009 ¶1. Embassy Grenada's weekly report (GWAR) provides a little detail about events of interest that do not merit longer reporting at this time. ¶2. Begin GWAR text: a. COP Denies Comments Hurt Tourism Commissioner of Police James Clarkson denied accusations that police efforts to crack down on public dress will harm tourism. The Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) began in late December to warn young men wearing pants that drooped below their rear ends to pull their pants up. Offenders who do not change their mode of dress will be fined if they ignore the warning. The police are also warning anyone wearing beach wear on the street to cover up. Several tourists have been turned back to the cruise ships/hotels to put more on. b. Wall Street Vendors Told to Move Vendors who have set up shop on `Wall Street' a high-traffic area in Grand Anse were told by police to close down at 6:30 pm. The area's unofficial name comes from the presence of branches of three of Grenada's largest banks. The vendors, a majority of whom do not have vending licenses, do a brisk business with locals as well as with tourists coming from Grand Anse Beach. As vending has increased, the area has experienced an upsurge in crime as well as making it difficult for people to get to the banks and other businesses by tangling traffic, taking up parking spaces, and blocking crosswalks, leading to the call for an early curfew. c. Nigerian High Commissioner visits Grenada Prime Minister Tillman Thomas welcomed Nigeria's offer of assistance to Grenada in the areas of health, agriculture and education. Mr. Musa John Jen, Nigeria's High Commissioner to Grenada, last week met with GOG officials to discuss deepening relations between the two countries. The High Commissioner said his government wants to improve air connections from Nigeria to the Caribbean. d. Grenada's new Ambassador to the European Union Former Assistant Professor at St. George's University, Stephen Fletcher, is Grenada's new Ambassador to the European Union (EU). Mr. Fletcher presented his credentials to the EU President, Jose Manuel Barroso in a ceremony at the EU Commission offices in Brussels. e. Grenada's new Ambassador to Cuba Mr. Raphael Joseph, former Foreign Affairs officer, last week presented his Letters of Credence to Cuba's Vice-President, Juan Almeida Bosque, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Grenada to the Republic of Cuba. The Cuban Vice-President thanked Grenada for its cash donations and technical assistance after several hurricanes swept across Cuba last summer. Ambassador Joseph reassured the Vice-President that Cuba can count on the continued solidarity and support from Grenada, not only as it confronts its own domestic challenges, but also in its efforts to promote greater co-operation and collaboration throughout the wider Caribbean. MCISAAC