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DE RUEHWN #0637/01 1022008
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 122008Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2281
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0060
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J5 MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUEHCV/USDAO CARACAS VE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000637 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USTR-VLOPEZ;SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/11/2016 
TAGS: PREL PINR ETRD EINV EAIR UNSC BR CH CS HA
VE, XL 
SUBJECT: BARBADOS FOREIGN MINISTER ON HAITI, TRADE, AND UN 
REFORM 
 
REF: BRIDGETOWN 628 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Mary Kramer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  Foreign Minister Dame Billie Miller and 
members of her staff held a candid question and answer 
session with Barbados-based Ambassadors, revealing Caribbean 
views on Haiti, trade, and UN reform.  On Haiti, Miller 
encouraged the U.S. and Brazil to remain engaged, while 
committing to a greater CARICOM role in rebuilding Haitian 
civil society.  She also promised greater Haitian involvement 
in CARICOM after President-Elect Rene Preval's inauguration. 
On trade, Miller said she would push hard for a waiver from 
the WTO so the U.S. Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) can 
continue (reftel).  Other MFA staff then elucidated Barbadian 
positions on trade in services, security requirements as a 
trade barrier, and CARICOM trade agreements with Costa Rica, 
Cuba, and Venezuela.  On UN reform, CARICOM remains divided. 
Some member states support only India and Brazil for Security 
Council membership while others support the full G-4 slate, 
including Germany and Japan.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Following an April 7 breakfast meeting at the Hilton 
for Barbados-based Ambassadors (reftel), Foreign Minister 
Dame Billie Miller moved the group to a meeting room and 
opened the floor to questions.  In an open and forthright 
discussion, she expressed her views on Haiti, trade issues, 
and UN reform.  Also present from the Barbados MFA were 
Minister of State Kerrie Symmonds, MFA Permanent Secretary 
(PS) Ambassador Teresa Marshall, MFA Deputy PS Charles 
Burnett, MFA PS for Trade Samuel Chandler, and an MFA 
notetaker.  In addition to Ambassador Kramer, Ambassadors or 
High Commissioners representing Brazil, China, Costa Rica, 
Cuba, the UK, and Venezuela attended.  Canada was represented 
by DCM Fred Jacques. 
 
---------------------- 
CARICOM Views on Haiti 
---------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) The Brazilian Ambassador began the discussion, asking 
for CARICOM's position on Haiti.  FM Miller responded that 
Secretary Rice had assured CARICOM Foreign Ministers during 
 
SIPDIS 
their March 21-22 meeting in the Bahamas that the USG is 
prepared to "stay the course" in Haiti.  Miller said the USG 
position was good news and important to know, adding that now 
more than ever in Haiti all are needed.  The FM believes 
CARICOM will welcome Haitian President-Elect Rene Preval to 
their Heads of Government (HOG) meeting in St. Kitts in July, 
assuming Haitian parliamentary elections go forward as 
planned so that an inauguration can take place.  (Note: 
Miller did not say whether or not Preval could attend the 
July HOG meeting if he has not been sworn in by then.  End 
Note.) 
 
¶4. (C) Miller said CARICOM Foreign Ministers plan to take up 
the Haiti question at their April 24-25 meeting in Grenada. 
Discussion there will identify areas of assistance, e.g., 
building civil institutions.  Miller remarked that CARICOM 
has great potential for assisting Haiti and wants very much 
to be engaged in that country.  At the Grenada meeting, 
Miller plans to push for all CARICOM countries that can 
assist Haiti to do so now.  She pointed out that CARICOM 
countries such as Barbados that have a strong history of 
stability, democracy, and rule of law should provide Haiti 
with technical assistance in improving civil institutitions. 
 Miller characterized current Haitian civil institutions as 
weak and corrupt, noting that any democracy in Haiti will 
remain weak and corrupt as well if the institutions do not 
 
improve. 
 
¶5. (C) The Foreign Minister said Haiti has remained at the 
table for CARICOM trade negotiations throughout the 
post-Aristide period.  She reminded the group that Haiti has 
a population of 8 million people and the rest of CARICOM 
together has less than 6 million, so all members stand to 
benefit from trade with this large block of the regional 
market in the future.  Miller said Barbados is eager to 
welcome Haiti to all the tables of CARICOM.  She said Haiti 
will be categorized as the poorest of the poor in the world 
of trade and assistance, so the country will need funds 
available for a number of initiatives; CARICOM cannot afford 
to help Haiti without financial assistance from the 
international community. 
 
¶6. (C) Miller noted that the Foreign Minister from Brazil 
will be at the CARICOM Foreign Ministers' meeting in Grenada 
to hear how CARICOM will become re-engaged in Haiti.  Miller 
welcomed Brazil's participation and reminded the Brazilian 
Ambassador that Haiti needs long-term military assistance. 
Miller warned that Brazil must not "fold the tents after the 
election" and withdraw troops from Haiti. 
 
----------------- 
WTO Waiver on CBI 
----------------- 
 
¶7. (C) The Cuban Ambassador expressed interest in CARICOM's 
various trade partnerships and negotiating arenas, in 
particular, Partial Scope Agreements (PSA) and the Caribbean 
Basin Initiative (CBI) with the U.S.  Miller responded that 
the CBI has been around for many years, and was probably 
meant to be more helpful to Central America, perhaps also to 
Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, than to the Caribbean.  She 
reminded the group that the Caribbean's trade relationship 
with the U.S. is more valuable than the region's trade with 
either India or China.  For that reason, CARICOM must have a 
renewal of CBI, but such a renewal requires a waiver from the 
WTO.  Miller remarked that CARICOM understands the opposition 
to the waiver from China, India, and Pakistan, but believes 
an exception for small developing countries must be 
available. 
 
¶8. (C) Miller observed that the developed countries have had 
a good 60 years to prepare themselves for free trade and now 
make the rules.  CARICOM countries are simply fighting to 
save their trading space - hence their fight for the CBI 
waiver with the WTO.  Miller offered to discuss any measure 
that might appease those opposed to a CBI waiver.  (Note: 
Miller told the Ambassador privately that the Chinese "owe" 
Barbados for all the favorable deals their state construction 
company has won - and will continue to win - in Barbados. 
End Note.)  Miller noted that the CARICOM Heads had agreed to 
move forward with PSAs (including with the U.S.) to benefit 
Trinidad and Tobago's energy exports.  Miller said the U.S. 
currently does not have PSAs in the region but is fond of 
PSA-type agreements. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Desired Future for Regional and Global Trade 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (C) Ambassador Kramer asked FM Miller to share CARICOM's 
vision of a desired future for regional and global trade. 
The Foreign Minister responded that for over 300 years 
Barbados has never openly traded sugar.  Her country has 
always had preferential treatment; sugar has almost always 
been subsidized.  Miller said Barbados has determined that 
sugar is not the way forward; instead, the service industry 
represents the most promising future.  Though some CARICOM 
countries have continued to rely on agriculture, she gave the 
examples of sugar producers in Guyana, Belize, and Suriname, 
now being undercut by Brazilian competition. 
 
¶10. (C)  Miller contrasted the limited negative impact to 
Barbados from losing sugar preferences with the serious 
economic hardship visited upon Dominica as a result of the 
loss of preferential treatment for its banana exports.  The 
least developed of the Eastern Caribbean states is 
constrained in switching to tourism because Dominica's 
geography makes the construction of a large-scale airport 
difficult.  Miller also highlighted the vulnerability of the 
region to hurricane damage, pointing to the overnight 
destruction of the total GDP of Grenada from Hurricane Ivan 
in September 2004.  The region depends on outside assistance 
to recover from such economic setbacks. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
The Future of Barbados - Trade in Services 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶11. (C) Miller then deferred to Minister of State in the MFA 
(specializing in trade issues) Kerrie Symmonds to speak on 
trade in services.  Symmonds put forth trade in services as 
the way of the future for Barbados.  He illustrated how the 
CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), with its 
liberalized trade in services, will serve as a sort of 
proving ground for competition in world markets.  Symmonds 
said service providers (such as accountants) must receive 
accreditation to compete in the U.S. market; this 
 
certification includes accreditation at the federal, state, 
and local level.  He also said the CSME "Competition 
Commission" will measure how well service providers meet 
international standards.  He quipped that the new CSME 
structure makes CARICOM members the domestic market: there 
are no longer separate economies. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Security Requirements a Trade Barrier 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶12. (C) The PS for Trade, Samuel Chandler, entered the 
discussion, noting how security regulation and requirements 
have added cost to both exporters and governments.  Miller 
remarked on all the camera equipment at the port and airport, 
saying, "These are not one-off expenses, they are recurring 
expenses, but without them one risks the loss of 
international access for the port and the airport."  Chandler 
continued to discuss how security requirements have become 
trade barriers, both for tourists and the private sector.  He 
observed that smaller economies must be more stringent with 
security because of the potential of total wipeout, using the 
example of how Avian Influenza could devastate the chicken 
industry.  For this reason, Chandler said governments like 
Barbados' are careful and take a long time to implement new 
security measures.  The PS also reminded the group that no 
bilateral agreement of a CARICOM member state is possible 
without notification of all other members. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
Status of Costa Rican and Cuban Trade Agreements 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶13. (C) The Costa Rican Ambassador asked the Foreign Minister 
about the status of CARICOM's trade agreements with Costa 
Rica and Cuba, recently passed in the Barbados Parliament. 
PS for Trade Chandler indicated that the two measures 
affecting Cuba and Costa Rica simply gave legal status in 
Barbados to certain CARICOM agreements.  (Note:  Trade 
agreements negotiated at the CARICOM level must still gain 
parliamentary approval in each member state to become active. 
 End Note.)  These agreements only await the Governor 
General's signature to be operational - meaning certain Costa 
Rican and Cuban goods enter Barbados duty-free.  Chandler 
noted that the parties must still work out regulatory 
procedures such as certain phyto-sanitary standards, and that 
these regulations, while outside the realm of trade policy 
agreements, must be observed. 
 
------------------------- 
CARICOM - Venezuela Trade 
------------------------- 
 
¶14. (C) The Venezuelan Ambassador asked for an update on her 
country's request to CARICOM for a full scope agreement. 
Chandler said CARICOM already exports to Venezuela duty- and 
tax-free.  He said CARICOM recognizes that the Venezuela 
agreement is asymmetric (providing benefits to CARICOM but 
none to Venezuela), but noted there is not yet a formal 
request from the Venezuelan side for the full scope 
agreement.  Chandler noted that Venezuela has serious 
phyto-sanitary issues as well that could complicate 
negotiations. 
 
--------------------- 
United Nations Reform 
--------------------- 
 
¶15. (C) The Venezuelan Ambassador then asked for Barbados and 
CARICOM views on UN reform.  FM Miller said Barbados and 
CARICOM support UN reform and believe it is needed but only 
if it means larger voices for small and developing countries. 
 She then deferred to MFA Deputy PS Charles Burnett, recently 
returned from New York, where Security Council reform 
dominated the UN agenda.  Burnett explained that CARICOM 
would support expansion, both permanent and nonpermanent, but 
that the UNSC expansion must include both the developed and 
the developing world. 
 
¶16. (C) The Deputy PS reported that the G-4 resolution 
confronted the issue of four countries seeking UNSC expansion 
at the permanent level, but said this proposal divided 
CARICOM.  Burnett explained that some CARICOM countries are 
for Brazilian and Indian membership on the council as 
developing countries and others support the entire slate, to 
 
include Japan and Germany.  Then the issue of the veto arose: 
 CARICOM saw the veto issue as leading to two levels of 
membership - one with veto and one without.  He stated that 
the U.S. held views very strongly and they were clearly and 
forcefully articulated.  Burnett recounted that, at one 
point, it appeared the G-4 resolution would move forward with 
support from France and the UK, but the "Asia dynamic" 
between China and Japan resulted in its collapse. 
 
¶17. (C) The Deputy PS also described the course-changing 
influence on CARICOM representatives of the African Union 
(AU) resolution (no permanent member recommendation, no 
veto), after which the Africans disagreed among themselves. 
Burnett allowed as how in the later stages of the UN reform 
discussions, CARICOM envoys just monitored the debate as its 
members could not agree on a single position. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶18. (C) Such a frank and wide-ranging discussion between the 
Barbados Government and senior diplomats is extremely rare. 
The Barbadians normally hold embassies at arm's length, 
insisting on a rigorous adherence to protocol that stifles 
open discussion.  Barbados and FM Miller in particular are 
CARICOM leaders in many areas of foreign affairs, and her 
views on Haiti and trade likely hold true for most CARICOM 
members. 
KRAMER