VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHWN #1542/01 2442113
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 012113Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3215
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 1489
RUEHGT/AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA PRIORITY 0065
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0078
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J5 MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUEHCV/USDAO CARACAS VE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 001542 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR WHA/CAR AND WHA/PAS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/31/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC SNAR KPAO PINR UNGA ST XL
SUBJECT: ST. LUCIA'S DISCONNECTED PRIME MINISTER 
 
REF: A. BRIDGETOWN 1538 
     ¶B. BRIDGETOWN 1216 
     ¶C. BRIDGETOWN 1215 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Mary Kramer for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY:  Ambassador Kramer and MLO Aboyagye traveled 
to St. Lucia August 3 to dedicate two SOUTHCOM-constructed 
projects and meet informally with St. Lucia Prime Minister 
Anthony.  While both ceremonies created positive public 
impressions of U.S.-St. Lucia cooperation, Ambassador Kramer 
concluded that PM Anthony is considerably less committed to 
and less capable of managing St. Lucia's diplomatic and 
security responsibilities than he claims.  He professed 
unawareness that St. Lucia had delayed signing an Article 98 
agreement, as well as ignorance of his government's 
unresponsiveness to repeated USG efforts to focus St. Lucia 
officials on bilateral cooperation or even to return phone 
calls.  Abandoning his earlier banana-related rationale for 
rejecting Guatemala's candidacy for the upcoming UNSC 
election, Anthony also highlighted the "vulnerability" of 
small states as a reason to support Venezuela.  A former 
professor, PM Anthony seems more interested in pontificating 
on what others should be doing in the international arena 
than in becoming a responsible leader at home, in the region, 
or globally.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
BARRACKS TO BOOST COUNTERNARCOTICS CAPABILITY 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) On August 3 St. Lucia Prime Minister Kenny Anthony and 
Ambassador Kramer dedicated two USG-provided facilities in 
St. Lucia.  With SOUTHCOM funding of USD 1.2 million, the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and reservists had constructed a 
combined barracks for St. Lucia Special Forces and Maritime 
units at Vieux Fort.  The facility is strategically located 
at the southern tip of St. Lucia (also within the PM's home 
constituency).  The modern barracks position the newly 
combined Special Forces and Maritime units to provide the 
region's first line of defense against mainland South 
American drug traffickers as neighbors Grenada and St. 
Vincent and the Grenadines are unable to offer any 
significant deterrent. 
 
---------------------------------- 
HEADQUARTERS FOR DISASTER MANAGERS 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) SOUTHCOM also funded construction of a headquarters 
building and warehouse for St. Lucia's National Emergency 
Management Organization (NEMO) in Vigie, near the capital, 
Castries.  The dedication of the NEMO building at which the 
Ambassador and PM Anthony officiated served primarily to 
assemble and recognize the many community disaster relief 
volunteers from around the island on whom the organization 
depends.  PM Anthony was in full campaign mode for both 
dedication ceremonies; his remarks were flattering and 
appreciative of U.S. contributions.  Both events were fully 
covered by local media. 
 
--------------- 
BILATERAL BLUES 
--------------- 
 
¶4. (U)  PM Anthony hosted Ambassador Kramer at an informal 
luncheon on August 3 between the dedication ceremonies for 
the two U.S.-funded construction projects.  The Prime 
Minister's Cabinet Secretary and Deputy Director of NEMO, Dr. 
James Fletcher, Minister of Tourism Phillip J. Pierre, 
Embassy MLO Aboagye, and PAO O'Reagan were also present. 
 
¶5. (C)  As PM Anthony appeared to have no planned agenda for 
the session, Ambassador Kramer made clear that the facilities 
inaugurated that day were provided with the understanding 
that St. Lucia would sign an Article 98 Agreement; it had not 
yet done so.  In order for the USG to be able to offer 
emergency security assistance during the upcoming 2007 
Cricket World Cup (CWC) events, it was also important for St. 
Lucia to sign a Caribbean Regional Maritime Agreement (CRMA) 
and renew its Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). 
 
¶6. (C)  The Ambassador also noted the recurring difficulty of 
USG officials in reaching the PM and senior members of his 
administration or in having calls returned.  She explained 
that this lack of responsiveness has delayed the Article 98 
process and other security cooperation efforts. 
 
¶7. (C)  PM Anthony professed surprise that there had been any 
delay in the Article 98 process, claimed ignorance of any 
messages from American officials that had not been answered, 
and generally directed responsibility for any difficulties in 
the bilateral relationship to others.  He sloughed off his 
government's inaction on signing the Article 98 Agreement by 
saying that he thought it "had been taken care of." 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
"PRINCIPLED STANDS" VS. INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶8. (C) Comfortably shifting back into his former professorial 
role, PM Anthony lectured the American delegation on the 
perils of globalization, providing a critique on the U.S. 
role in global affairs.  He disapprovingly discussed the USG 
response to the recent Middle East hostilities and 
subsequently explained CARICOM members' support of Venezuela 
over Guatemala for the UN Security Council seat as the action 
of small countries that were "vulnerable."   (Comment: 
Presumably to the danger of displeasing petroleum-rich 
Venezuela.  End Comment.)  He made no reference to 
banana-related resentment of Guatemala as he had in an 
earlier exchange (Ref C). 
 
¶9. (C)  Ambassador Kramer challenged the PM's assertion that 
the CARICOM countries were taking a "principled stand" on the 
UNSC election or other international issues on which Anthony 
held forth.  She suggested that countries that wish to be 
considered seriously in the international arena should 
consider the long-term, global consequences of such 
decisions.  The Ambassador further recommended that the 
CARICOM states could play a much greater role in world 
affairs by contributing to international peacekeeping efforts 
in Haiti, for example, or as part of the "coalition of the 
willing" to provide security support for addressing conflicts 
in other parts of the world. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶10. (C) Despite the positive mood of the day's events, post 
considers PM Anthony an unreliable partner whose commitment 
to security responsibilities consists of self-congratulation 
and cosmetic solutions such as replacing local police 
commanders with British police officers (Ref A), without 
insuring the logistical or political support the law 
enforcement personnel need.  Post's interagency Law 
Enforcement Working Group believes that St. Lucia's security 
forces are actually one of the better performing groups in 
the eastern Caribbean.  The forces' effectiveness could 
benefit, however, from the replacement of several individuals 
in leadership positions.  The Prime Minister has not seen fit 
to make those changes. 
 
¶11. (C) As in the matter of the delayed Article 98 signature, 
PM Anthony refuses to take responsibility for realizing 
security commitments while declining to delegate or 
relinquish the authority needed to meet them.  In observing 
his interaction with his own citizenry throughout the day, 
Ambassador Kramer concluded that PM Anthony is not interested 
in acting locally or leading globally; his sole focus seems 
to be on maintaining his position rather than providing a 
vision for St. Lucia's future. 
KRAMER