Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09SANTODOMINGO289
2009-03-06 16:07:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Santo Domingo
Cable title:
SANTO DOMINGO ECONOMIC-POLITICAL ROUNDUP, MARCH 6,
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTO DOMINGO 000289
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/CAR, LA PAZ FOR A/DCM C LAMBERT
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2019
TAGS: PREL SNAR MARR CU HA DR
SUBJECT: SANTO DOMINGO ECONOMIC-POLITICAL ROUNDUP, MARCH 6,
2009
Classified By: Roland W. Bullen, Charge d'Affaires, Reasons 1.4(b),(d)
(SBU) In this edition of the roundup:
C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTO DOMINGO 000289
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/CAR, LA PAZ FOR A/DCM C LAMBERT
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2019
TAGS: PREL SNAR MARR CU HA DR
SUBJECT: SANTO DOMINGO ECONOMIC-POLITICAL ROUNDUP, MARCH 6,
2009
Classified By: Roland W. Bullen, Charge d'Affaires, Reasons 1.4(b),(d)
(SBU) In this edition of the roundup:
1. Movement on DR-Haiti Mixed Bilateral Commission
2. Fernandez Visits Cuba
3. HSV Swift Visit Brings Training and Humanitarian Outreach
4. Fernandez Hands Out the Spoils
5. Caribbean Discusses Drugs at UNODC Conference
1. (U) Movement on DR-Haiti Mixed Bilateral Commission
According to a press report in Santo Domingo, Haitian
President Preval has signed a decree naming his government,s
representatives to the Mixed Bilateral Commission (CMB),
including Prime Minister Pierre-Louis as head of delegation.
The CMB, largely dormant since 1998, will address a broad
range of bilateral issues, including trade, agriculture,
education, culture, health, tourism, migration, sports,
crime, and human rights. The Dominican delegation, which was
named in 2008, will be led by Foreign Minister Morales. A
date for the first meeting has not yet been set.
2. (U) Fernandez Visits Cuba
President Fernandez visited Cuba the first week of March to
attend, together with several other heads of state, the "XI
International Meeting of Economists Regarding Globalization
and Development Problems." In comments to the press,
Fernandez said that after 50 years of failure, the embargo
should be revised, taking advantage of a new administration
in the U.S. Fernandez also met with Fidel Castro, with whom
he discussed the international economic crisis and baseball,
and traveled to Santiago de Cuba to celebrate the historical
and cultural ties between the two countries. In addition,
the Dominican Republic and Cuba created a working commission
to negotiate an agreement on cooperation in the field of
education.
3. (SBU) HSV Swift Visit Brings Training and Humanitarian
Outreach
The U.S. Navy High Speed Vessel (HSV) Swift arrived in Santo
Domingo February 25 for a ten-day visit. The mission of the
Swift is to enhance the capabilities and inter-operability of
host-government naval units, as well as engage in "strategic
communications" -- i.e. to send the message that the United
States is a partner of the country and willing to support its
efforts to combat shared challenges such as terrorism and
narcotrafficking. The HSV Swift also provides humanitarian
outreach, such as delivering water filters and gifts for
children in orphanages. The training and assistance provided
via HSV Swift, as well as the presence of this impressive
ship, send a strong signal of the commitment of the U.S.
government to enhance security and prosperity throughout the
region. POLOFF Alain Norman served as Political Advisor
aboard the Swift, riding from Bluefields, Nicaragua, to Santo
Domingo and conducting several briefings, among other duties.
4. (C) Fernandez Hands Out the Spoils
Two recent meetings provided fresh evidence of a political
spoils system that is wasting tax dollars and bloating the
bureaucracy. In a meeting with Youth Minister Rodriguez,
Public Affairs Section staff learned that the small Ministry
has 23 Subsecretarios (Under- and Assistant-Secretaries).
Rodriguez said that only five have offices and that the
remainder are "on call," implying that they perform
little-to-no work in return for their salaries. In a meeting
with Labor Minister Puig, POLOFFs asked about recent
leadership changes and inquired who should be our points of
contact. Puig replied that there are 28 Subsecretarios at
the Ministry, adding, with a smile, that "many of them are
just put there by the President." He directed POLOFFs to two
Subsecretarios that are clearly performing the jobs assigned
to them.
5. (U) Caribbean Discusses Drugs at UNODC Conference
From February 17 to 20, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime held
the "Ministerial Conference on Illicit Drug Trafficking,
Transnational Organized Crime, and Terrorism," hosted by the
Dominican Republic. The event was well attended, with
Caribbean ministers, UNODC Executive Director Costa, and
CARICOM Secretary-General Carrington participating. In a
Political Declaration, the parties established the Santo
Domingo Partnership Monitoring Mechanism and urged UNODC to
reopen an office in the Caribbean (full text sent to
WHA/CAR). At a session for donor countries, visiting INL
Program Officer Kevin Brown described U.S. assistance in the
region, praised the effort to tackle drugs from a regional
perspective, and acknowledged the importance of donor
coordination.
(U) Please visit us at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/santodomingo/
BULLEN
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/CAR, LA PAZ FOR A/DCM C LAMBERT
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2019
TAGS: PREL SNAR MARR CU HA DR
SUBJECT: SANTO DOMINGO ECONOMIC-POLITICAL ROUNDUP, MARCH 6,
2009
Classified By: Roland W. Bullen, Charge d'Affaires, Reasons 1.4(b),(d)
(SBU) In this edition of the roundup:
1. Movement on DR-Haiti Mixed Bilateral Commission
2. Fernandez Visits Cuba
3. HSV Swift Visit Brings Training and Humanitarian Outreach
4. Fernandez Hands Out the Spoils
5. Caribbean Discusses Drugs at UNODC Conference
1. (U) Movement on DR-Haiti Mixed Bilateral Commission
According to a press report in Santo Domingo, Haitian
President Preval has signed a decree naming his government,s
representatives to the Mixed Bilateral Commission (CMB),
including Prime Minister Pierre-Louis as head of delegation.
The CMB, largely dormant since 1998, will address a broad
range of bilateral issues, including trade, agriculture,
education, culture, health, tourism, migration, sports,
crime, and human rights. The Dominican delegation, which was
named in 2008, will be led by Foreign Minister Morales. A
date for the first meeting has not yet been set.
2. (U) Fernandez Visits Cuba
President Fernandez visited Cuba the first week of March to
attend, together with several other heads of state, the "XI
International Meeting of Economists Regarding Globalization
and Development Problems." In comments to the press,
Fernandez said that after 50 years of failure, the embargo
should be revised, taking advantage of a new administration
in the U.S. Fernandez also met with Fidel Castro, with whom
he discussed the international economic crisis and baseball,
and traveled to Santiago de Cuba to celebrate the historical
and cultural ties between the two countries. In addition,
the Dominican Republic and Cuba created a working commission
to negotiate an agreement on cooperation in the field of
education.
3. (SBU) HSV Swift Visit Brings Training and Humanitarian
Outreach
The U.S. Navy High Speed Vessel (HSV) Swift arrived in Santo
Domingo February 25 for a ten-day visit. The mission of the
Swift is to enhance the capabilities and inter-operability of
host-government naval units, as well as engage in "strategic
communications" -- i.e. to send the message that the United
States is a partner of the country and willing to support its
efforts to combat shared challenges such as terrorism and
narcotrafficking. The HSV Swift also provides humanitarian
outreach, such as delivering water filters and gifts for
children in orphanages. The training and assistance provided
via HSV Swift, as well as the presence of this impressive
ship, send a strong signal of the commitment of the U.S.
government to enhance security and prosperity throughout the
region. POLOFF Alain Norman served as Political Advisor
aboard the Swift, riding from Bluefields, Nicaragua, to Santo
Domingo and conducting several briefings, among other duties.
4. (C) Fernandez Hands Out the Spoils
Two recent meetings provided fresh evidence of a political
spoils system that is wasting tax dollars and bloating the
bureaucracy. In a meeting with Youth Minister Rodriguez,
Public Affairs Section staff learned that the small Ministry
has 23 Subsecretarios (Under- and Assistant-Secretaries).
Rodriguez said that only five have offices and that the
remainder are "on call," implying that they perform
little-to-no work in return for their salaries. In a meeting
with Labor Minister Puig, POLOFFs asked about recent
leadership changes and inquired who should be our points of
contact. Puig replied that there are 28 Subsecretarios at
the Ministry, adding, with a smile, that "many of them are
just put there by the President." He directed POLOFFs to two
Subsecretarios that are clearly performing the jobs assigned
to them.
5. (U) Caribbean Discusses Drugs at UNODC Conference
From February 17 to 20, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime held
the "Ministerial Conference on Illicit Drug Trafficking,
Transnational Organized Crime, and Terrorism," hosted by the
Dominican Republic. The event was well attended, with
Caribbean ministers, UNODC Executive Director Costa, and
CARICOM Secretary-General Carrington participating. In a
Political Declaration, the parties established the Santo
Domingo Partnership Monitoring Mechanism and urged UNODC to
reopen an office in the Caribbean (full text sent to
WHA/CAR). At a session for donor countries, visiting INL
Program Officer Kevin Brown described U.S. assistance in the
region, praised the effort to tackle drugs from a regional
perspective, and acknowledged the importance of donor
coordination.
(U) Please visit us at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/santodomingo/
BULLEN