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DE RUEHC #0626 2602112
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 172058Z SEP 07
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO IMMEDIATE 0000
RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE IMMEDIATE 0000
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA IMMEDIATE 0000
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO IMMEDIATE 0000

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 130626 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2017 
TAGS: PTER PHUM PINS PREL MARR DR CS PM MX
SUBJECT: (C) DEMARCHE REQUEST: GTMO DETAINEE EMERGENCY MEDEVAC 
STANDBY ARRANGEMENT 
 
CLASSIFIED BY WHA A/S THOMAS A. SHANNON, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) Department requests that Embassies Santo Domingo, San Jose, 
Panama City, and Mexico City approach the Governments of the 
Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, and Mexico about a standby 
arrangement that would enable DoD to transport Guantanamo detainees 
in need of critical care to a medical facility in one of those 
countries, if needed, on an emergency basis. 
 
Objectives 
---------- 
 
¶2. (C) Department requests that Embassies Santo Domingo, San Jose, 
Panama City, and Mexico City pursue the following objectives: 
 
-- Inform each respective government that the USG seeks to conclude a 
standby arrangement that would enable DoD to transport Guantanamo 
detainees in need of critical care to a medical facility in the 
respective country, if needed, on an emergency basis; 
 
-- Advise each respective government that DoD would provide 
appropriate security for any detainee transported under the 
arrangement, and that the USG would bear all costs associated with 
care provided under the arrangement; 
 
-- Stress that the arrangement the USG seeks would be invoked only on 
an as-needed, emergency basis, and that currently there are no 
detainees at Guantanamo in need of transportation for critical care 
under such an arrangement; 
 
-- Persuade the government to enter into such an arrangement with the 
USG on a humanitarian basis, to assist in rendering life-saving 
procedures for a detainee(s), if needed. 
 
-- If asked, draw from the information in paragraph 6 to explain why 
the USG cannot transport detainees to the United States for emergency 
medical treatment. 
 
Reporting Deadline 
------------------ 
 
¶3. (C) Department requests that Embassies Santo Domingo, San Jose, 
Panama City, and Mexico City report the results of their efforts by 
cable slugged for S/WCI - Ambassador Williamson by Wednesday, 
September 19. 
 
Background 
---------- 
 
¶4. (C) The Deputy Secretary has agreed to the Deputy Secretary of 
Defense's request that the Department approach the Governments of the 
Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, and Mexico (in that order of 
preference) about a standby arrangement that would enable DoD to 
transport Guantanamo detainees in need of critical care to a medical 
facility in one of those countries, if needed, on an emergency basis. 
 DoD seeks such an arrangement in the event that a detainee were to 
require life-saving procedures that DoD cannot provide at Guantanamo 
- i.e., an unanticipated emergency that requires a type of treatment 
DoD cannot transport to, or maintain at, Guantanamo.  The proposed 
arrangement would be a non-binding political understanding and would 
not constitute a formal international agreement.  Currently there are 
no detainees at Guantanamo in need of transportation for critical 
care under such an arrangement. 
 
¶5. (C) Detainees receive state-of-the-art medical care at Guantanamo 
for routine, and many non-routine, medical problems.  There are, 
however, limits to the care that DoD can provide at Guantanamo, and 
serious risks (outlined in paragraph 6) associated with the 
transportation of detainees to the United States for medical 
treatment.  DoD Health Affairs policy experts have identified the 
Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, and Mexico as countries with 
the requisite level of emergency medical care, in relatively close 
proximity to Guantanamo, where detainees could receive life-saving 
procedures that are unavailable on short notice at Guantanamo. 
 
¶6. (SBU) At this time, the USG is not admitting any Guantanamo 
detainees into the United States for several reasons, including that 
admitting particular detainees might lead litigants to argue that 
U.S. courts should order the USG to admit other, more dangerous, 
detainees.  These concerns are unique to the United States and are 
not something that third countries face.  Terrorism is an 
international problem, and we believe efforts to counter it should be 
shared among all nations that are potentially its targets.  Other 
countries, such as Albania, have in the past acknowledged the need 
for all to share in this counter-terrorism effort by accepting 
Guantanamo detainees who are not their nationals for resettlement. 
 
¶7. (C) DoD would provide appropriate security for any detainee 
transported under the standby arrangement.  DoD also would bear all 
costs associated with care provided under the arrangement.  The USG 
would view a country's decision to enter such an arrangement as an 
important humanitarian gesture. 
 
¶8. (C) Department understands that the proposed arrangement raises 
significant legal and logistical issues that would need to be 
resolved before such an arrangement could be concluded.  At this 
juncture, we are simply seeking to determine whether any of the four 
countries identified by the DoD Health Affairs policy experts would 
be receptive to discussing the matter further. 
 
Point of Contact 
---------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Point of contact for this request is S/WCI - Mark Stamilio, 
phone: (202) 647-5234, email: StamilioMA2@state.sgov.gov. 
RICE