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:
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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