VZCZCXRO4402
PP RUEHGR
DE RUEHKG #1170/01 2081355
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271355Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5113
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINGSTON 001170 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR (RBUDDEN) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PTER ASEC EWWT PGOV GAO JM XL
SUBJECT: JAMAICAN REACTION TO GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY 
REPORT (GAO) ON CARIBBEAN PORT SECURITY 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (SBU) The United States Government Accountability Office 
(GAO) is required to report on security related aspects of 
Caribbean Basin Ports. On June 29, 2007 the GAO released a 
report, "Information on Port Security in the Caribbean 
Basin", in which they identified three likely modes of attack 
and three specific areas of security concern and 
vulnerability. The Jamaican reaction to the GAO report has 
been limited but resentful. Jamaicans, including James 
Forbes, head of security at the Port Authority of Jamaica, 
were critical of the GAO report's lack of specificity. Many 
federal agencies located within U.S. Embassy Kingston, were 
also concerned about the report's broad labeling of Caribbean 
ports without distinguishing among specific countries. While 
many of the concerns identified may apply to other islands in 
the Caribbean, Jamaica seems to have made a concerted effort 
to comply and in some instances exceed international 
regulations regarding port security. The Jamaican media does 
not seem to recognize the distinction between this report 
emanating from an independent nonpartisan agency that works 
for Congress, and an official statement of U.S. Government 
policy and views. End Summary 
 
 
 
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GAO Report 
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¶2. (SBU) Section 233 (c) of the security and accountability 
for Every Port Act of 2006 compels the GAO to inform Congress 
of port security in the Caribean Basin. It is important for 
Congress to be aware of the security situation regarding 
ports in the Caribbean Basin because American cruise ships 
and goods travel to and from this region. The U.S. Government 
Accountability Office (GAO) released a report, "Information 
on Port Security in the Caribbean Basin"(www.gao.gov), with 
the specific objectives of identifying and describing: (1) 
the threats and concerns to port security within the 
Caribbean Basin, (2) actions taken by foreign and domestic 
agents to meet international port regulations, (3) actions US 
government agencies have taken to assist in making Caribbean 
ports secure, and (4) the potential economic consequences of 
port security and a hypothetical attack. 
 
¶3. (SBU)The GAO acquired interview officials from federal 
agencies and international organizations, and also visited 
several Caribbean nations GAO reviewed information provided 
by those agencies and organizations working in the region. 
Based on the three areas of analysis in the aforementioned 
section, the GAO found three areas that specifically inhibit 
port security in the Caribbean Basin: (1) corruption, (2) 
gang activity in close proximity to ports, and (3) drug 
trafficking. Illegal migration and a growing influence of 
Islamic radical groups were also mentioned by agency 
officials as potential concerns to port security. 
 
¶4. (SBU) However, according to the GAO, its report is 
"descriptive in nature and does not provide a detailed 
analysis of the actions taken or efforts made regarding port 
security in the Caribbean Basin." Therefore, the GAO report 
merely describes the port security situation in general 
without taking into consideration actions taken to address 
the security concerns mentioned above. The report also does 
not address the effectiveness of the programs implemented by 
Federal or any other agencies to address the security 
concerns raised in the report. 
 
 
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Jamaican reaction 
----------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Jamaican reaction to the GAO report can be 
described as limited but resentful.  In the media, there have 
been a few articles concerning references to the GAO report. 
One editorial made the front page of the "Daily Observer", 
one of the major periodicals read island-wide, on July 7, 
2007,  with the title, "'Our Ports Secure' Port Authority 
responds to U.S. Congress Concern." The article included 
comments from James Forbes, head of the security at the Port 
Authority of Jamaica, who was specifically disgruntled at the 
claims of corruption, lax security, and limited resources to 
maintain equipment. The GAO seems to have given rise to some 
 
KINGSTON 00001170  002 OF 002 
 
 
confusion that was expressed in an analysis column in the 
Daily Observer on July 15, 2007 entitled "Two elections and 
'Uncle Same'." The columnist, Rickey Singh, expressed dismay 
regarding the critique of port security coming on the heels 
of the CARICOM 20/20 Summit at which Caribbean nations and 
the U.S. agreed to move forward collectively on issues of 
security. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Mr. Forbes expressed disgruntlement at the GAO 
report's findings because Jamaica appears to have addressed 
many of the concerns mentioned by the GAO as a threat to 
security. Forbes claims the Port Authority of Jamaica is 
audited internally, and the Port Authority also has been 
audited by the U.S. Coast Guard and other international 
agencies that have found the Port Authority's financial 
practices to be above board. Forbes is also quoted as saying 
that not only saying the Port Authority possesses equipment 
that only scan 100% of all cargo, but Jamaica is the only 
country in the region with the capacity to scan cargo with 
high-tech x-ray equipment that can peer through 12 inches of 
solid steel. The three major ports on the island, Kingston, 
Montego Bay, and Ocho Rios, are operated by both local police 
and Jamaica Defense Force. Forbes did not address the issue 
of growing Islamic radical influence in the region. However, 
the Islamic community in Jamaica is very small. 
 
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Federal Agency Reactions 
------------------------ 
 
¶7. (SBU) Federal agencies operating in the area have positive 
reviews of the efforts by the Jamaican government to secure 
the ports. In the estimate of the Embassy's Narcotics Affairs 
Section, the management of Jamaican ports, headed by Noel 
Hylton, does not appear to be corrupt. Narcotics Affairs also 
believes the Jamaica Defence Force does not seem to be 
corrupt in comparison to other law enforcement agencies in 
Jamaica. The Defense AttachQ's Office (DAO) could not comment 
on other ports in Jamaica but specifically mentioned the port 
in Kingston as secure and compliance with international 
guidelines/standards. The Department of Homeland security 
Container Security Initiative, Kingston, also has found that 
the Kingston port is secure. Some of the security measures 
noted by the Container Security Initaitive, a program active 
in other Caribbean Islands, included:(1) having a Jamaican 
Customs Officer present when someone enters the container 
area, (2) having a customs officer present when the seal of a 
contain is broken, (3) and all vechicles that enter the port 
are requird to sign in and out. The concensus opinion of 
Federal agencies operating in Kingston is that the ports here 
are secure. 
 
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Comment 
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¶8. (U) The report's lack of specificity leads some countries 
like Jamaica to believe, by virtue of being part of the 
region to which the GAO report refers that their situations 
are mischaracterized and their efforts to cooperate with us 
on port security are not appreciated. Jamaicans sometimes do 
not recognize the difference between the executive and 
legislative branches in the U.S. Government or the 
independent, non-partisan nature of an organization like the 
GAO that is charged with keeping the legislative branch 
informed of how the executive spends money. They interpret a 
report such as this as an authoritative statement of U.S. 
views 
HEG