VZCZCXRO4730
RR RUEHGR
DE RUEHKG #0682/01 0961620
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061620Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2569
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM J6 MIAMI FL
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM J7 MIAMI FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINGSTON 000682 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAR (BENT) 
Q 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINR KCRM SOCI JM
SUBJECT: CODEL ISSA'S MARCH 30 MEETING WITH NEWLY INSTALLED 
PRIME MINISTER PORTIA SIMPSON MILLER 
 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. Codel Issa met with newly installed Prime Minister Portia 
Simpson Miller on March 30, shortly after the PM was sworn in 
at King's House.  The cordial meeting lasted nearly 
one-and-a-quarter hours.  Simpson-Miller expressed 
determination to move quickly to address Jamaica's 
joblessness and high crime rates, particularly among youths. 
Education will also be a priority.  Codel Issa urged the PM 
to consider seeking Millennium Challenge Account funding, and 
recommended that she visit Washington "sooner rather than 
later" to explore potential avenues of engagement and 
assistance.  Ambassador Tony Hylton, who was appointed 
Foreign and Trade Minister shortly after the meeting, said 
that Jamaica and fellow CARICOM states still needed special 
consideration, in trade issues, as "small, vulnerable 
economies."  Simpson Miller said she expected she would have 
"no honeymoon" as she attempted to tackle Jamaica's myriad 
problems.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
Codel Issa Meets the New Prime Minister 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  The Ambassador and the U.S. Congressional Delegation 
headed by Rep. Darrell Issa, and including Reps. Sheila 
Jackson-Lee, Gregory Meeks, William Lacy Clay, Diane Watson, 
and Mrs. Renee Chenault-Fattah, wife of Rep. Chaka Fattah 
(who was unable to make the trip to Jamaica), met late March 
30 with newly sworn-in Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, 
at the PM,s suite in a New Kingston hotel.  Simpson-Miller 
was joined by Ambassador Tony Hilton (who was subsequently 
appointed as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign 
Trade) late-arriving Commerce Minister Phillip Paulwell, PM 
personal assistant, Anne Shirley, and by the PM,s 
aide-de-camp.  Accompanying the Ambassador and Codel Issa 
were DCM, Pol/EconCouns (notetaker), Congressional staffer 
Ted Brennan, and two Codel military escorts.  The meeting 
lasted an hour and one-quarter, and took place in the PM,s 
suite at a Kingston hotel. 
 
¶3. Rep. Issa began by congratulating the new PM on her 
swearing-in earlier that day, and asked how Congress might 
best assist her new administration.  After welcoming the 
members of the delegation and thanking them for attending the 
ceremony, she said noting that she had recently met a young 
deportee who told her that he had been &tricked8 by U.S. 
authorities into leaving the U.S. without the proper 
documentation, and that the issue of deportees from the U.S. 
merited closer scrutiny.  The new PM pledged to combat 
narcotrafficking while lamenting the related, ready 
availability in Jamaica of illegal foreign-origin firearms. 
Expanding on the theme, Simpson Miller said that she would be 
an &activist Prime Minister8 who would address crime and 
poverty issues in poorer communities, and attempt to stem 
rural-to-urban drift through an unspecified job creation 
plan.  Advocating increased social intervention by the GOJ, 
she said, &If you arrest one criminal (leader), six more 
rise up to replace him.8  The PM expressed interest in 
introducing foreign language instruction into Jamaican 
schools. 
 
------------ 
Crime Issues 
------------ 
 
¶4. Crime was a significant topic of discussion, and Rep. Issa 
agreed that we could explore ways of impeding the flow of 
illegal firearms entering Jamaica.  When Rep. Watson asked 
how the weapons were entering the country, Simpson Miller 
replied that she had limited information, but suggested that 
fishing boats and &barrels8 (the generic term for packages 
shipped to Jamaican families and friends by members of the 
diaspora community.)  Rep Watson observed that 
counternarcotics efforts also impact gun smuggling, and 
suggested that CARICOM be involved in interdiction efforts. 
After offering greetings on behalf of Speaker Hastert and 
Minority Leader Pelosi, Rep. Jackson-Lee suggested to the PM 
that the GOJ explore enhanced anti-crime efforts with CARICOM 
partners, adding that in-kind training by DEA and the FBI 
might also be appropriate.  Rep. Clay invited the PM to 
consider studying how the Americorps program in the U.S. 
might be applicable to Jamaica, and urged that she take steps 
to ensure that Jamaica did not develop what he termed &a 
prison-industrial complex8 in response to its crime 
 
KINGSTON 00000682  002 OF 002 
 
 
challenges. 
 
--- 
MCA 
--- 
 
¶5. Rep. Jackson-Lee strongly suggested that the PM seriously 
consider how Millennium Challenge Account funding might 
benefit Jamaica.  Rep. Meeks seconded Rep Jackson-Lee on MCA, 
noting that overall U.S. assistance funding had been cut 
back.  Observing that &we won,t have a honeymoon period8 
to address Jamaica,s pressing problems, Simpson-Miller said 
she would work closely with CARICOM on youth development and 
employment generation, adding that assistance in these areas 
would also &help a lot.8  As she had done previously with 
the Ambassador, Simpson Miller expressed keen interest in 
MCA, and, as she had done during a recent meeting with the 
Ambassador, instructed Paulwell to follow up with the Embassy. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Trade:  Still Seeking Special Consideration 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. Ambassador Hylton (who shortly after the meeting was 
announced as Jamaica,s new Minister of Foreign Affairs and 
Foreign Trade) spoke positively about the Secretary,s recent 
meetings in Nassau with CARICOM counterparts, and urged that 
such engagement be sustained.  He also asked for 
Congressional support for &small, vulnerable economies8 in 
trade discussions with the Caribbean. 
 
¶7. Rep. Issa replied that Presidential authority to conclude 
trade agreements such as CAFTA was expiring, and suggested 
that the Prime Minister visit Washington &sooner rather than 
later8 to discuss trade and other issues.  The PM replied 
that she intended to begin exploring an early visit to 
Washington.  Simpson-Miller spoke warmly about the President, 
who had called her on March 28 to congratulate her on 
becoming Prime Minister.  She noted that she fondly recalled 
the visit to Jamaica of Vice President George H.W. Bush 
during the 1980's, and urged that the current president 
remember the CARICOM region. 
 
--- 
CSI 
--- 
 
¶8. Rep. Meeks asked how the GOJ was doing with regard to the 
Container Security Initiative (CSI).  The PM replied that the 
Port Authority of Jamaica, with welcome USG assistance, was 
&doing well8 in intercepting contraband.  Paulwell added 
that Jamaican ports had been certified by the USG, that PAJ 
had installed X-ray machines, but could use more. 
 
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Ethanol 
------- 
 
¶9. On the issue of ethanol, the PM stated that Jamaica would 
begin using 10-percent ethanol fuel on May 1.  Rep. Issa 
noted that Brazil,s demand for ethanol exceeded its domestic 
capacity, and suggested that the GOJ consult with the GOB on 
ethanol. 
 
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Comment 
------- 
 
¶10. Simpson Miller,s willingness to receive the Codel (and 
to spend so much time with them) so soon after taking office 
is a promising indication that she wants to strengthen the 
bilateral relationship. End Comment. 
 
¶11. This cable has been cleared by Codel Issa. 
JOHNSON