VZCZCXRO2489
PP RUEHGR
DE RUEHSP #0295/01 0671811
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 081811Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6518
INFO RHMCSUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 3557
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0066
RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT OF SPAIN 000295 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
PASS USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EPET ETRD ECIN TD
SUBJECT: TRINIDAD ABOUT-FACE ON PETROCARIBE AND CARICOM 
 
REF: (A) POS 217; (B) POS 39 (C) 04 POS 1388 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Trinidad's opposition to Petrocaribe 
softened at the February 9-10 CARICOM summit, as it 
agreed to lifting the CARICOM common external tariff so 
other member states could go ahead with their 
individual agreements with Venezuela.  One reason why 
T&T acquiesced is its interest in joint gas production 
with Venezuela.  Another is a possible CARICOM partial 
scope trade agreement with the U.S., something T&T 
proposed bilaterally in 2004 (ref c).  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Trinidad & Tobago has been standing outside as 
its fellow member countries in CARICOM rush in to 
embrace the Venezuela Petrocaribe offer for petroleum 
under concessional terms.  Media reports have described 
T&T for months as being in opposition to participation 
by other CARICOM countries in the scheme.  For its 
part, GOTT has never declared that it was in opposition 
to Petrocaribe, but rather needed to study it further. 
 
¶3. (U) At the heads of government meeting last month in 
Port of Spain (ref A), this evident opposition of T&T 
appears to have dissipated.  On February 10, leaders 
stated in their joint communique that they "welcomed 
the willingness of Trinidad and Tobago to facilitate 
the PetroCaribe Agreement, particularly through its 
indication of support for the application for a 
suspension of the Common External Tariff in that 
regard." 
 
----------------------------- 
MYSTERIES OF CARICOM 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) There was little elaboration at the summit of 
what led the CARICOM members back to a position of 
harmony.  It came barely a month after Manning stated 
at another CARICOM meeting (ref B) that countries 
embracing Petrocaribe risked pushing private companies 
that have traditionally handled oil storage to quit the 
region. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Post inquired with the prime minister's 
department about the new position following the HOG 
meeting.  Staffers there told us that CARICOM countries 
would go ahead with their own arrangements, now that 
all countries agreed to remove the Common External 
Tariff (CET) as an obstacle to importing oil from 
Venezuela.  CARICOM members understood that T&T would 
not be available for them to turn to if they needed to 
seek alternate suppliers in future.  (NOTE: Petrotrin, 
the national oil company in T&T, is in the midst of a 
multi-year refinery upgrade that will position it to 
produce more gasoline for the U.S. market.)  Manning, 
as current chairman of CARICOM (through June) had a 
mandate to speak for CARICOM with Venezuela on 
Petrocaribe.  However, T&T would not be making an 
approach to Venezuela.  Rather, it would be holding off 
while it "waits for a sign" from Venezuela. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
REASONS NOT TO OPPOSE PETROCARIBE 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) Two issues may have moved T&T back into 
alignment.  One is the ongoing process toward 
"unitizing" (sharing) straddling gas reserves along the 
maritime boundary off Trinidad's southern coast.  On 
this issue, technical discussions have been underway 
for months, and post understands that work is nearly 
complete.  It is in the interest of T&T to obtain a 
political agreement with Venezuela to enable T&T to 
move toward producing its share of that gas (estimated 
as 1.5 trillion cubic feet or more), and hopefully 
produce some Venezuelan gas into LNG for export. 
Manning declared as recently as late January that T&T 
intends to build a future liquefaction production train 
that would be fueled with Venezuelan gas. 
 
¶7. (U) A second motivation for T&T acquiescence on 
Petrocaribe may be its interest in a CARICOM approach 
to the USG for a "partial scope" trade agreement.  The 
reported purpose would be for allowing duty-free entry 
into the USA for petrochemical products made in 
 
PORT OF SP 00000295  002 OF 002 
 
 
Trinidad.  The Ambassador inquired subsequently with 
Trade Minister Valley, whose office sent us a list of 
products on February 22 that T&T contemplated being 
covered by a partial scope agreement.  That list, which 
we sent to WHA/CAR, comprised the following products: 
methanol; urea; ammonia; UAN [urea ammonium nitrate]; 
direct reduced iron (HBI/DRI), iron & steel and steel 
products; aluminum and related products; melamine; 
ethanol; ethylene, polyethylene and derived products; 
propylene, polypropylene and derived products; LNG; 
petroleum products; EDC [ethylene dichloride]; PVC; and 
information technology-derived products and services. 
This list is similar to but longer than one the GOTT 
conveyed to us in a request to USTR in 2004 (ref C). 
Post does not know if that message was ever answered. 
CARICOM members seem likely to discuss this issue more 
July 2-5 at the annual summit in St. Kitts & Nevis. 
 
¶8. (U) COMMENT: As was the case before the CARICOM 
meeting, Petrocaribe does not seize the constant 
attention of either the media or the business community 
here.  The economy of T&T is large enough that the 
economic impact of Petrocaribe is blunted by strong 
domestic growth, fueled by record energy revenues that 
are fueling a construction boom.  This makes T&T an 
anomaly in an economic community typified by energy 
poor countries with limited economic prospects.  More 
significant is the perceived impact Petrocaribe has had 
on the integrity of CARICOM.  As a firm believer in 
CARICOM, the GOTT apparently moved to set aside its 
differences in exchange for a commitment from its 
CARICOM partners to work toward a limited trade 
agreement with the U.S.  While seemingly favorable only 
to T&T, such an agreement could be a stepping-stone to 
an eventual US/CARICOM FTA. 
 
AUSTIN