JAMAICA: COUNTRY CLEARANCES AND BRITISH OVERSEAS TERRITORIES

UNCLAS KINGSTON 000798 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AMGT ASEC APER CMGT PBTS EFIN BEXP PREL KCOM JM CJ UK, XL SUBJECT: JAMAICA: COUNTRY CLEARANCES AND BRITISH OVERSEAS TERRITORIES IN THE CARIBBEAN (CAYMAN ISLANDS) REF: LONDON 1375 (110806Z JUN 09); KINGSTON 530 (081806Z JUL 09) 1.(SBU) Embassy Kingston appreciates the opportunity to approve / comment on Embassy London's proposal outlined reftel (A), paragraphs 6 and 7, for vetting country clearance requests for the Cayman Islands. Post agrees to the proposal as outlined. With respect to the "general, long-standing rule" outlined reftel (A), paragraph 6, whereby "responsibility for substantive issues involving British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean have been divided between London, Bridgetown, Kingston, and Nassau, with London handling affairs related to foreign and defense matters and Bridgetown, Kingston, and Nassau responsible for everything else, such as education, press, culture, etc.," by way of clarification, Post must note the following caveats: (A) Embassy Kingston has never exercised responsibilities for economic or commercial affairs in the Cayman Islands, and does not have the resources to do so. (B) the Defense Attach???? in Kingston has been designated as the diplomatic representative of the Secretary of Defense to the Cayman Islands. (C) the Public Affairs Section (PAS) of Embassy Kingston deals with the media in the Cayman Islands, but does not have the personnel or budget officially to take on the educational and cultural components of public affairs work in the Cayman Islands. (D) the Consular Section of Embassy Kingston is unaware of any "informal arrangement with London's Consular Section" to "let London know via e-mail when a consular officer is planning to visit . . . ." Embassy Kingston independently manages and supports the U.S. Consular Agency in the Cayman Islands, including regular visits by officers from a variety of its offices. Unless there is a reason to change the existing system, Kingston's consular personnel will continue to visit the Cayman Islands whenever necessary with the understanding that London concurs in these visits. Parnell