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