Libertad Act Review: Trinidad and Tobago

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT OF SPAIN 000423

SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/CCA: JDHILLSMAN
AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN PASS TO AMEMBASSY GRENADA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/11/23
TAGS: ETRD ETTC PREL CU TD
SUBJECT: Libertad Act Review: Trinidad and Tobago

REF: STATE 115416

CLASSIFIED BY: Len Kusnitz,, De Affairs Charge; REASON: 1.4(B),(D)


1. (U) This message responds to reftel questions.




2. (C) QUESTION: Has the host country, in Post's opinion, worked
to promote the advancement of democracy and human rights in Cuba?



ANSWER: Post is not aware of any GOTT initiatives promoting
democracy and human rights in Cuba.




3. (C) QUESTION: Has the host country made public statements or
undertaken other governmental actions, such as resolutions in the
national assemblies condemning human rights abuses in Cuba; or
actions in support of civil society in Cuba through host country's
diplomatic missions or other fora?



ANSWER: The GOTT has made no public statements or undertaken any
governmental action to condemn human rights abuses in Cuba or
support civil society in Cuba.




4. (C) QUESTION: Have there been any high-level diplomatic
visits, between Cuba and the host country in the past six months?



ANSWER: Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who has received ongoing
medical treatment in Cuba for over a decade, met with Cuban
vice-president Esteban Lazo Hernandez on July 7, 2009 after
Manning's most recent medical check-up in Cuba. Press reports
after the one-hour meeting indicated that Manning and Lazo
discussed the political situation in Honduras as well as bilateral
trade and diplomatic relations, and that they discussed a possible
visit to T&T by Cuban president Raul Castro. The T&T-Cuba Joint
Commission, which meets at the Foreign Minister level, is scheduled
to take place in early December in Havana.




5. (C) QUESTION: What is the nature of investments that host
country businesses have in Cuba?



ANSWER: Post is aware of no T&T private companies or individuals
with significant presence or investments in Cuba; T&T's exports to
Cuba consist primarily of bulk commodities (chemicals, iron and
steel, fertilizer) which do not require producers to establish a
presence in Cuba. In May, the Minister of Finance publicly
suggested a trade mission to Cuba as a follow up to the Nov 2008
Havana Trade Fair, but no such mission has taken place thus far.




6. (C) QUESTION: Are there any bilateral trade agreements or
other cooperative agreements between host country and Cuba?



ANSWER: T&T does not have a bilateral trade agreement with Cuba,
but as a member of CARICOM, T&T has ratified the trade agreement
between CARICOM and Cuba. Cuba is assisting in an agricultural
project (the "Tucker Valley Farm Project") in Trinidad.




7. (C) QUESTION: Are there any exchange programs between host
country and Cuba, including but not limited to: scholarships for
host country nationals to study in Cuba; Cuban-paid medical travel
for host country nationals; and Cuban doctors working in the host
country?



ANSWER: Cuba provides medical personnel to work in T&T. Currently
there are 17 doctors and 28 nurses from Cuba working here.


8. (C) Post believes it is in the U.S. national interest to
suspend Title III of the Libertad Act as related to Trinidad and
Tobago, based on the limited nature of its economic and political
interests in Cuba and its contribution to U.S. energy security as a
reliable supplier of oil and gas and its importance as an economic,
political, and security leader in the Eastern Caribbean.
KUSNITZ