VZCZCXRO9152
PP RUEHGR
DE RUEHSP #0389/01 1101910
ZNR UUUUU ZZH ZDK
P 201910Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN
TO RUEHCO/AMEMBASSY COTONOU 0009

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT OF SPAIN 000389 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR, WHA/PPC, EEB/TPP/BTA, H 
STATE PASS USTR FOR AUSTR EISSENSTAT, V LOPEZ 
USDOC/ITA/MAC/LATIN AMERICA CARIBBEAN 
TREASURY FOR OFFICE OF TAX POLICY 
DOE FOR OFFICE OF POLICY AND INT'L AFFAIRS 
COTONOU FOR JCUSHING 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV EPET ETRD MARR SNAR VE TD
SUBJECT:  T&T PRIME MINISTER SEEKS U.S. ENGAGEMENT IN MEETING WITH 
CODEL ENGEL 
 
 
PORT OF SP 00000389  001.4 OF 003 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PROTECT ACCORDINGLY 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: During an April 16 meeting with CODEL Engel, 
Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Manning voiced frustration that 
Washington has not engaged on his bilateral economic and security 
proposals, and he complained about Article 98 and low margins on LNG 
sales to the U.S.  CODEL members agreed that there had been 
"neglect," and they encouraged Manning to bring his concerns to 
Washington and specifically to Capitol Hill when he attends the 
Caribbean 2020 Conference in June.  Manning pledged to attend the 
conference, and COFA Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Chairman Engel 
in turn promised to organize an event for Manning on Capitol Hill at 
that time. 
 
¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY CONT'D:  On regional relations, Manning said he 
seeks an "energy alliance" that would allow Trinidad & Tobago to 
temper Venezuela's influence in the Caribbean.  He elaborated on 
T&T's regional role by recounting several instances in which T&T 
came to the assistance of neighbors Haiti, Guyana, Grenada, and 
Venezuela.  He also asked why the President's recent Latin America 
trip had not included a stop in the Caribbean.  End Summary. 
 
¶3. (U) Codel Engel met with Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) Prime Minister 
Patrick Manning on April 16 at Manning's office in Whitehall. 
Manning was joined by Foreign Minister Arnold Piggott as well as 
Permanent Secretary Sandra Marchack and Communications Director 
Paige deLeon from the Office of the Prime Minister.  In addition to 
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign 
Affairs (COFA) Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, the CODEL 
members participating in the meeting were Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) 
and her spouse Amb. Sidney Williams (former U.S. Ambassador to the 
Bahamas), Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), 
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), and Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Staff 
Director Jason Steinbaum.  Embassy Charge and Economic Chief 
accompanied. 
 
----------------------------- 
Manning Seeks U.S. Engagement 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Chairman Engel opened the discussion by conveying his 
intention to make the Caribbean a priority for his Subcommittee. 
Manning welcomed the CODEL's visit and said he could not understand 
why the U.S. had not responded to a series of GOTT proposals aimed 
at addressing mutual bilateral and regional concerns. 
 
¶5. (SBU) PM Manning said he had asked to amend the bilateral tax 
treaty to permit energy companies to deduct the cost of exploration 
in T&T from their U.S. tax bills, asserting that the cost of 
exploration should be borne by the country whose energy security 
stands to benefit from the investment.  Manning also raised his past 
requests for a "partial scope" trade agreement covering energy-based 
products and for duty-free access to the U.S. market for CARICOM 
manufactured goods packaged in T&T, arguing that these would have a 
minimal effect on the U.S. market and huge benefits for CARICOM. 
Finally, he reviewed his call for the U.S. to finance T&T patrols of 
international waters in the Eastern Caribbean, to prevent drug 
traffickers from moving "up the islands" as the GOTT ramps up 
surveillance and interdiction in its own waters.  Manning asserted 
that he had received no response to these ideas from Washington and 
asked rhetorically "What are we to conclude?" 
 
¶6. (SBU) Describing T&T as the only economy in the Caribbean that is 
doing well, Manning said his country has done nothing to abuse its 
"strategic position" as the top supplier of U.S. imports of 
liquefied natural gas (LNG), ammonia, and methanol.  Manning also 
commented that T&T was not reaping its due from LNG sales to the 
U.S., both because of pricing formulas in its long-term supply 
contracts and because of the cut taken by foreign companies that 
process T&T's LNG and transport it to market.  Based on pricing, 
Manning suggested that Mexico might be a more attractive market than 
the U.S. for any prospective new LNG production capacity in T&T. 
 
¶7. (SBU) PM Manning raised Article 98, acknowledging that U.S. had 
 
PORT OF SP 00000389  002.4 OF 003 
 
 
partially lifted restrictions on military assistance following his 
September 2006 meeting with A/S Shannon but complaining that this 
was not enough.  Noting that he did not want to be completely 
negative, Manning praised Washington's engagement on criminal 
investigations.  He explained that he had asked for and received 
support from the U.S. Attorney General's office, and this had helped 
his government pursue a tough line on integrity for public officials 
in T&T. 
 
----------------------------------- 
CODEL Agrees U.S. Engagement Needed 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Chairman Engel responded that he was perplexed that 
Washington had not engaged on PM Manning's ideas and promised to use 
his position to find out why there was not more dialogue.  He 
commented that the U.S. has become so preoccupied with the war on 
terror and the war in Iraq that it sometimes cannot see beyond those 
foreign policy priorities.  Engaging on T&T's concerns was not only 
the right thing to do, he continued, it was also in the U.S. 
interest when Venezuela is increasing its influence in the 
Caribbean.  He also noted that he has sponsored legislation to 
abolish Article 98 and signaled that the bill has bipartisan support 
in the COFA. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The other Members of Congress thanked PM Manning in turn 
for his candor and encouraged him to bring his concerns to Capitol 
Hill when he visits Washington in June for the Caribbean 2020 
Conference.  When PM Manning expressed doubt whether it was 
worthwhile for him to attend the 2020 Conference, the CODEL members 
urged Manning to make the trip and to insist on a substantive 
conference agenda that would address his concerns.  In response, 
Manning pledged to attend.  (NOTE: Foreign Minister Piggott had 
previously announced to local press on April 12 that Manning would 
go to Washington for the 2020 Conference. END NOTE.) 
 
¶10. (U) Rep. Waters said the new Democratic Party majority in 
Congress was an opportunity to address Caribbean concerns.  She 
expressed support for special and differential treatment for 
Caribbean nations in WTO agreements and flagged concern over the 
decline of the banana and sugar industries in the Caribbean. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Rep. Jackson-Lee characterized the Codel's visit to 
Grenada and T&T as ground-breaking.  She voiced concern that PM 
Manning's call for support in patrolling the Eastern Caribbean had 
not received due consideration, saying that she could not imagine a 
more accommodating offer and indicating that it should have been 
brought to the attention of the House Committee on Homeland 
Security, of which she and Rep. Clarke are members. 
 
¶12. (U) Rep. Lee said that the current lineup of the COFA Western 
Hemisphere Subcommittee provides a "critical mass" to focus 
attention and resources on the Caribbean.  She also commented that 
U.S. neglect of the Caribbean created an opening for China, 
recalling the Chinese-built stadium that CODEL Engel had toured 
during their previous stop in Grenada. 
 
¶13. (U) Rep. Clarke said her Brooklyn constituency, which includes a 
high proportion of Caribbean-Americans, had given her a mandate to 
reshape U.S. relations with the region.  She flagged narcotics and 
deportation as issues of concern, and she also encouraged GOTT 
officials to call on her directly when they visit Washington, in 
addition to meeting with U.S. executive branch officials. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Manning Describes T&T's Regional Role 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶14. (SBU) PM Manning, visibly pleased with CODEL's response, offered 
several anecdotes to illustrate T&T's role in the region, including 
successful GOTT efforts to discourage international oil companies 
from cutting off supply to Haiti for non-payment or taking 
commercial advantage of disruptions in Venezuelan supply to Guyana. 
Manning spoke at length on T&T's assistance to Grenada in the 
 
PORT OF SP 00000389  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
aftermath of Hurricane Ivan.  He also recounted T&T's response to an 
appeal from Venezuelan President Chavez during a prolonged strike at 
PDVSA, when T&T supplied gasoline to Caracas in a barter exchange 
for Venezuelan crude. 
 
¶15. (SBU) PM Manning recounted that in the context of recent 
T&T-Venezuela discussions on developing cross-border gas deposits, 
President Chavez had told the GOTT ambassador in Caracas that by 
teaming up Venezuela's gas reserves and T&T's LNG expertise, the two 
countries could play a dominant role in the Western Hemisphere gas 
market.  Stressing that he did not share Chavez' aspirations, 
Manning characterized his goal with Venezuela as an "energy 
alliance" that the GOTT could use to temper Venezuela's influence in 
the Caribbean, adding that he suspected Washington might not view it 
that way. 
 
¶16. (SBU) Manning said he could not understand why President Bush 
had not included a stop in the Caribbean in his recent trip to Latin 
America, when Chavez had managed to visit both Jamaica and Haiti as 
he shadowed the President's travels elsewhere in the Hemisphere. 
Chairman Engel responded that any U.S. presidential travel in the 
region was a plus, and he praised the U.S.-Brazil agreement on 
biofuels. 
 
¶17. (SBU) Chairman Engel concluded that he hoped to use the findings 
of his visit to T&T and Grenada to push for policy change, and he 
said he would like PM Manning to meet with members of the COFA when 
he travels to Washington in June, promising to organize an event for 
that purpose.  Manning indicated he would accept such an 
invitation. 
 
¶18. (SBU) COMMENT:  Manning's appeal to CODEL Engel for greater U.S. 
engagement parallels his message in recent meetings with other 
visiting senior U.S. officials and in public fora in T&T.  Post 
anticipates Manning will act on CODEL Engel's advice to take his 
message to Capitol Hill on the margins of the Caribbean 2020 
Conference.  Via septel Post will provide available details on 
Manning's requests on security, trade, and the bilateral tax treaty 
and ask Washington agencies for guidance on how to respond.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
¶19. (U) CODEL Engel did not have an opportunity to clear this 
message before departing T&T. 
 
SWEENEY