VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHWN #1899/01 3001742
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 271742Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3598
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 1549
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0094
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUEHCV/USDAO CARACAS VE PRIORITY
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J5 MIAMI FL PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 001899 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR FOR WHA/CAR AND WHA/PDA 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC SNAR KPAO PINR UNGA ST XL
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR KRAMER FAREWELL TOUR: ST. LUCIA 
 
REF: BRIDGETOWN 1542 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Mary Kramer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (SBU) On October 13, Ambassador Kramer traveled to St. 
Lucia for farewell meetings with Prime Minister Dr. Kenny 
Anthony, Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy and Attorney 
General and Minister of Justice, Senator Victor Philip La 
Corbiniere.  The Ambassador used the meetings to gauge St. 
Lucia's priorities as well as prevailing attitudes toward 
Americans.  The Prime Minister and Attorney General sought to 
explain their frustration with perceived U.S. disengagement 
in the region and lobby for additional U.S. resources.  The 
Governor General, however, stressed the importance of 
personal responsibility over dependency.  The Ambassador 
appreciated the Governor General's constructive views and was 
equally impressed with her gracious hosting of the 45th 
Anniversary Celebration of Peace Corps in St. Lucia.  End 
Summary. 
 
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PRIME MINISTER KENNY ANTHONY 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) "We (the Caribbean) want to love you, but you're not 
giving us the opportunity to do so" was Prime Minister Kenny 
Anthony's response when asked about Caribbean attitudes 
toward Americans.  The good news, according to PM Anthony, is 
that the Caribbean does feel a connection to the United 
States, particularly through U.S. generosity toward the 
people in the region.  He also affirmed that "the U.S. tops 
the list with Canada for Caribbean affection."  However, PM 
Anthony believed that in recent years, the United States has 
not invested time and effort in the region, referring 
specifically to the "painful economic adjustment" brought on 
by U.S. opposition to banana trade preferences.  (Note: when 
the Ambassador told PM Anthony that Venezuela recently stood 
by Ecuador's call for the elimination of banana trade 
preferences, he glossed over the comment.  End Note.) 
 
¶3. (SBU) PM Anthony perceived other missed opportunities to 
improve relations with the Caribbean, such as the economic 
strain from repatriating deportees from the U.S., inability 
to meet with high-level leaders in Washington, lack of 
coordination on Haiti, and lack of U.S. funding to support 
St. Lucia's domestic projects, namely scholarships and health 
care.  The Ambassador responded that the United States 
secured hundreds of millions of dollars for the region during 
her tenure, improved pre-departure processes for deportees, 
and assisted with highly successful counternarcotics 
operations.  PM Anthony admitted that these were important 
contributions.  He insisted, however, that such contributions 
are not as tangible as, for example, the new hospital funded 
by the European Union, which he claims, "stands as a visible 
monument." 
 
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GOVERNOR GENERAL OF ST. LUCIA 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy provided the 
Ambassador with honest and constructive views on issues of 
poverty, crime, and the environment in St. Lucia.  The 
Governor General told the Ambassador that "people need to 
take responsibility for their own behavior and cannot expect 
the government to clean everyone's backyard and raise their 
children."  Dame Pearlette supported the same approach to the 
private sector, agreeing with the Ambassador that the hotel 
industry also needed to take more responsibility, and rely 
less on the government, for their customers' security. 
 
¶5. (SBU) When asked about attitudes of St. Lucians toward the 
United States, the Governor General told the Ambassador that 
the lack of appreciation for U.S. generosity in the region 
may have more to do with the nature of the projects (i.e., 
tangibility) rather than the dollar amount.  She also 
suggested that "it may be an information problem," and that 
the United States should raise more awareness in the media 
and among the public so that people can "make the link 
between global and local, and break down the issues for the 
common man."  Later that evening, the Ambassador returned to 
the Governor General's residence to celebrate the 45th 
Anniversary of Peace Corps in St. Lucia, a perfect reminder 
that the United States has maintained this link with the 
Caribbean for the last 45 years. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
ATTORNEY GENERAL AND MINISTER FOR JUSTICE 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Article 98 was the first order of business in the 
Ambassador's meeting with Senator Victor Phillip La 
Corbiniere, Attorney General and Justice Minister.  AG La 
Corbiniere assured the Ambassador that the agreement should 
be ready for signature "quickly" after he discusses it in his 
next meeting with the Cabinet on October 23.  AG La 
Corbiniere was 
careful not to "speak for the Cabinet" but told the 
Ambassador that the agreement should be ready for signing 
before the Ambassador departs post.  AG La Corbiniere thanked 
the Ambassador for her responsiveness on the issue of 
deportee repatriation.  AG La Corbiniere also noted 
considerable progress in the lead-time and information 
sharing among both countries' law enforcement communities, 
but admitted that debriefings on deportees still needed 
improvement because of the local police officers' hesitancy 
to ask questions. 
 
¶7. (C) AG La Corbiniere also expressed concern with what he 
sees as an alarming new trend among drug traffickers: 
becoming less involved in the direct movement of drugs and 
more involved in the financial side of operations, via money 
laundering and real estate acquisition.  According to AG La 
Corbiniere, these criminals will fall off the radar screen 
unless he has additional resources to hire a specialized 
financial investigation team to maintain a steady focus on 
financial crimes.  The Ambassador replied that permanent IRS 
positions will be created in 2007 at Embassy Bridgetown which 
could expand opportunities for longer-term strategic planning 
and assistance to combat such illegal activities. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
A CELEBRATION OF 45 YEARS OF PEACE CORPS IN ST. LUCIA 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶8.  (U)  The highlight of the Ambassador's farewell calls was 
the 45th Anniversary Celebration of the Peace Corps at the 
Governor General's residence.  Dame Pearlette thanked the 
United States Peace Corps' friendship and service to the 
people of St. Lucia and expressed special gratitude to the 
past and present Volunteers in the country.  The Ambassador 
pointed out that in many ways, Peace Corps Volunteers are our 
best ambassadors, whose inspirational work brings our two 
countries closer in friendship and mutual understanding.  The 
Ambassador also confirmed that other U.S. efforts are 
underway, by the embassy as well as other U.S. agencies, that 
are making a difference in the lives of both St. Lucians and 
Americans, and creating stronger ties between our countries. 
The new Peace Corps Country Director, Kate Raftery, presented 
the Governor General with a small gift of appreciation for 
her country's cooperation and friendship with the Peace 
Corps, and acknowledged St. Lucia's contributions as well. 
Also present were former Peace Corps Volunteers, including 
the first Peace Corps Volunteer in St. Lucia, as well as St. 
Lucians that were former recipients of Peace Corps services 
and training. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶9.  (C)  The Prime Minister, Governor General and Attorney 
General all expressed their gratitude and appreciation for 
the Ambassador's leadership and assistance to the region, as 
well as her "personal friendship."  As is usual in meetings 
with St. Lucian officials, the Ambassador also heard some 
frustration over the perceived lack of "tangible" U.S. 
engagement in the region, followed by requests for more 
assistance.  The conversation with the Governor General, 
however, showed that not everyone in the Eastern Caribbean 
wants to depend on others to "clean their own backyard," and 
many still appreciate the generosity of the United States in 
times of real need.  As we have seen in other settings, like 
the Peace Corps Anniversary Celebration, such sentiments may 
be more widespread than PM Anthony would lead us to believe. 
Post takes this to be a positive sign that our relations with 
the region are much deeper than some may give us credit for. 
KRAMER