SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS: PRIME MINISTER MANNING

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT OF SPAIN 000119 NSC FOR AMBASSADOR DAVIDOW E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2019 TAGS: PREL KSUM MASS TD SUBJECT: SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS: PRIME MINISTER MANNING MEETS WITH CDA SHAPIRO Classified By: CDA CHARLES S. SHAPIRO; REASONS 1.4 (B,D) SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUEST: -------------- ¶1. (C) Prime Minister Patrick Manning met CDA Charles Shapiro March 16 to discuss Summit of the Americas issues. Manning envisions a major role for the President, including an event in Port of Spain's main park (the Savannah) for 100,000s. The PM will make a quick March 18-21 trip to six nations, including Venezuela and Brazil, to try to ensure a successful Summit. He wants no posturing or surprises from his guests -- disagreements should be raised in the April 19 private leaders' retreat. Manning believes the Cuba and world financial crisis issues will need to be handled carefully. The PM also asked that the U.S. stand down on providing any combat aircraft for Summit security. Manning would like to meet in Washington with the President shortly after his six-nation pulse taking tour. Recommend that the President call Manning early the week of March 22. End Summary and Action Request. Working Together and Getting the President Seen -------------- -- ¶2. (C) Prime Minister Patrick Manning and CDA Shapiro met March 16 to discuss Summit of the Americas issues. Sitting in were DCM Kusnitz, the PM's Special Assistant Kirt St. Bernard and his press aide. Shapiro began the session by noting he was in Trinidad to work with Manning and his team to ensure a successful Summit. The PM looked forward to working closely with the USG and related that President Obama will be the most popular figure to ever visit T&T, more popular than Nelson Mandela. Everyone the PM meets here wants to see the new President. ¶3. (C) Manning is looking for an expansive Summit role for President Obama. The PM looks forward to a bilateral meeting (at the Hyatt) on the Summit's margins. In addition, he would like the President to speak at Friday night's (April 17) opening ceremony, along with Argentine President Fernandez de Kirchner, CARICOM Sec Gen Carrington and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, who is the current chairman of the Central American Integration System (SICA). He also envisions the President attending the April 19 mid-day Summit closing press conference, followed by a meeting with the 14 CARICOM Prime Ministers. (Manning promised to limit speakers and topics.) He hoped that would be followed by a major public event on the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain's central park, witnessed by hundreds of thousands of people. (He compared it to the inauguration on the Mall.) The Charge noted potential security concerns with such a large event, which Manning brushed aside saying it was important not to let security personnel decide what leaders do. Manning Off to Six Countries -------------- ¶4. (C) Manning will depart March 18 to Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Mexico and Venezuela, returning home on March 21. He will underscore the need for no public blow-ups; any disagreements should be raised in the April 19 leaders-only retreat. Manning also noted he had just returned from a CARICOM meeting in Belize, reiterating the desire of those nations (and their 14 voices on international and Summit matters) to see the President while in Port of Spain. Chavez -------------- ¶5. (C) While he has no word on whether Venezuelan President Chavez will attend the alternate People's Summit (at the University of West Indies ten miles out of town),Manning was willing to lay "ten-to-one" odds that Chavez would speak to the gathering. Nonetheless, this will be in a controlled atmosphere and there will be a much smaller audience for Chavez here than was true in Argentina. The PM reiterated that any demonstrations would be controlled. Cuba -------------- ¶6. (C) Manning asserted an 'avalanche against the U.S." is building on Cuba. The PM's goal is to forestall that, keeping it from becoming a central Summit issue. He intends to raise this on his trip by stressing the steps the U.S. has already taken to ease travel and remittances to Cuba. Depending on what he picks up, he will talk to the Cubans when in Havana at the end of March for a medical check-up. If necessary, he will speak to Raul Castro to keep this issue in a box. Manning believes he would be successful on that, based on his positive relations with Cuba. (Note: Manning appears to be serious about managing LatAm expectations on Cuba, but he also wants to nudge the U.S. toward normalization of relations with Cuba.) World Financial Crisis -------------- ¶7. (C) Reflecting on pressing themes, Manning predicted a move could arise to have the Summit put out a statement on the world financial crisis. Negotiating such a declaration could take up the entire conference and not be successful. For that reason, he intends to advance the idea of a crisis "Statement from the Chair." CARICOM, Manning noted, backs him in this view. Summit Security -------------- ¶8. (C) Manning asked that we stand down from T&T's request to provide fighter aircraft for Summit security. Caracas has asked to send "MIGs (presumably the Venezuelan SU-30s) and that turning Venezuela down, but allowing the U.S. to have fighters would cause problems with his neighbor. He stated as a fact that the U.S. always had a carrier nearby whenever the President travels and that F-18s would therefore be just over the horizon. The CDA and DCM clarified that the request for combat aircraft came from his own government, but Manning underscored he did not want combat aircraft. He also reiterated that the Venezuelans wanted to bring a "warship" to Trinidad and it would be easier to turn this down if there were no "F-15s" around. On a related military note, we reminded the PM of the need for the GOTT to designate the U.S. under Trinidad's Visiting Forces Act. Manning said it would be done. A Pre-Summit Meeting in Washington with the President -------------- -------------- ¶9. (C) The Prime Minister said he would like to meet with President Obama in Washington after his six-nation tour. Manning plans to share with the President what he learned on the trip. He also wanted to discuss Cuba and his vision of how it should be brought back into the Inter-American system. Most importantly, though, he intended to speak to the President about the need for a large public event. Asked about Mrs. Obama's attendance, the CDA said no decision had been made. Comment: Waiting for Obama -------------- ¶10. (C) Manning plans for President Obama to be the centerpiece of the Summit and he hopes to be the beneficiary of the reflected light. He wants to deliver the President both to CARICOM and to the Trinidadian people. Recommend a call from POTUS to Manning early the week of March 22. SHAPIRO