This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L  PARAMARIBO 000831 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR LLUFTIG AND L/PM TMITCHELL AND MCOFFEE 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/20/2015 
TAGS: MARR MASS PREL PGOV EAID NS
SUBJECT: SOUTHCOM VISIT SUCCESSFULLY FOSTERS CLOSER 
         RELATIONS 
 
REFS: (A) PARAMARIBO 811 (B) PARAMARIBO 790 
 
      (C) PARAMARIBO 828 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary. General John Craddock, Combatant Commander 
of U.S. Southern Command, visited Suriname for six hours on 
December 16 and made office calls to President Ronald 
Venetiaan, Minister of Defense Ivan Fernald, and Commander 
of the Armed Forces Colonel Ernst Mercuur.  He also had 
lunch with Minister of Justice and Police Chandrikapersad 
Santokhi. Topics included securing an Article 98 agreement, 
standing up a Surinamese Coast Guard, future training 
opportunities, and security issues.  Overall, Government of 
Suriname (GOS) civilian and military officials were very 
pleased with the visit and stressed how much they value 
SOUTHCOM support. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) In his meeting with General Craddock, President 
Venetiaan said that he understood the importance of 
Suriname signing an Article 98 agreement and that he 
intends to do so, but said politics is not always that 
easy.  He emphasized that the ultimate approval authority 
lies not with himself but with the National Assembly, where 
admittedly his coalition holds a majority, albeit slim.  He 
commented that while there are some obstacles to approval, 
he is confident that the obstacles can be overcome, but 
that the process may take time.  (NOTE: A National Assembly 
member from President Venetiaan's own NPS party recently 
stated her opposition to Suriname's signing an Article 98 
agreement.  She is the second parliamentarian from the 
President's coalition to do so thus far. (See reftel A) END 
NOTE). Colonel Mercuur said that the military is very 
supportive of an Article 98 agreement, but can only do so 
much as it must follow the direction of the civilian 
government. 
 
¶3. (C) President Venetian noted that he placed importance 
on the United States as a partner nation and looks forward 
to continued cooperation, especially on the military front. 
Ambassador Barnes expressed deep gratitude to the President 
for agreeing to realign the road in front of the Embassy in 
order to provide greater security setback, recognizing his 
leadership in making an unpopular decision.  General 
Craddock told President Venetiaan that security is 
essential to attract investment in Suriname and that the 
best way for him to carry out his task of defending the 
U.S. is through regional cooperation with partner nations. 
 
¶4. (SBU) In his discussions with General Craddock, Minister 
Fernald emphasized the importance he places on training, 
interagency cooperation to address security issues, and 
strengthening institutions through investing in human 
resources. Fernald also requested assistance in reaching 
his goal of improving relations between the military and 
civil society, which continue to be strained years after 
military rule of the 1980's ended.  General Craddock 
proposed training opportunities at the U.S. Center for 
Civil-Military Relations.  Fernald also asked for support 
to Suriname's military hospital, specifically hospital 
exchanges, exercises and training events.  Ambassador 
Barnes pointed out that the director of the military 
hospital recently completed the U.S. Army Medical Command 
strategic leadership course while General Craddock 
mentioned providing Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs) 
on a regular basis. 
 
¶5. (U) Both Colonel Mercuur and Minister Fernald mentioned 
their interest in standing up a Coast Guard and sought 
SOUTHCOM assistance.  Colonel Mercuur noted that the 
Surinamese Navy does mostly Coast Guard operations at the 
moment.  General Craddock offered to share U.S. experiences 
and best practices.  Minister Fernald stated his intention 
to set up a working group in early 2006 composed of various 
Ministries that would have an interest in a Coast Guard. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Colonel Mercuur expressed his concern that the 
military currently lacks proper training and resources 
required to carry out newly required policing missions in 
the interior and fulfill its border control and immigration 
obligations.  General Craddock mentioned possibly sending 
military police teams to Suriname to conduct SMEEs and an 
interagency task force to assess security in Suriname's 
interior, similar to a project performed in the Dominican 
Republic. 
 
¶7. (U) Recognizing the military's lack of material 
resources, Colonel Mercuur made a pitch for more.  He 
emphasized his goal of properly training all Air Force 
pilots and making all aircraft operational, which requires 
a large quantity of replacement parts.  He praised the DATT 
 
 
for working hard to procure these parts; General Craddock 
offered to make a push to expedite the process.  In 
conversation with the Ambassador, Colonel Mercuur said the 
military is in need of uniforms, boots, and other material 
goods.  The Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel 
Dennis Kamperveen expressed interest in the State 
Partnership Program. 
 
¶8. (U) During a luncheon, Minister Santokhi emphasized 
Suriname's lack of resources as being a major obstacle to 
stopping criminal activity. He stressed how a lack of air 
transportation, such as helicopters, impedes law 
enforcement's ability to act quickly upon receiving 
intelligence of narcotics' drops or landings. 
 
--------- 
COMMENT 
--------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Coming on the heels of Venetiaan's announcement of 
Suriname's intent to sign an Article 98 agreement (See 
reftels B and C), the General's visit focused action 
ministry and decision makers' attention on Article 98.  The 
Embassy fielded information inquiries on issues like the 
compatibility of the agreement with the Rome Statutes and 
the American Service-members' Protection Act, sharpening 
the appreciation of what Suriname stands to lose if U.S. 
military cooperation falls by the way side. 
 
Barnes 
 
 
NNNN