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FM AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0103
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS IMMEDIATE 1655
RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN IMMEDIATE 2054
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARAMARIBO 000145 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPART FOR WHA/CAR JROSHOLT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PINR SNAR NS
SUBJECT: FIVE HOURS WELL-SPENT IN SURINAME: 
SHANNON/STAVRIDIS MARCH 28 WHIRLWIND VISIT HIGHLIGHTS 
BILATERAL AND REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS 
 
REF: PARAMARIBO 101 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES FROM SHANNON/STAVRIDIS 
FIVE-HOUR VISIT: On March 28, WHA Assistant Secretary Tom 
Shannon and SOUTHCOM Commander Admiral Jim Stavridis spent 
five hours on the ground in Suriname.  Together they met with 
President Runaldo Ronald Venetiaan (paras 2-4) and conducted 
a well-received press conference at the airport just prior to 
their departure.  Separately A/S Shannon met with Foreign 
Minister Lygia Kraag-Keteldijk (paras 5-7), and visited the 
Embassy for a town hall meeting and a country team briefing. 
Meanwhile, Admiral Stavridis met with Defense Minister Ivan 
Fernald and Commander of the Armed Forces Colonel Ernst 
Mercuur.  Throughout, the visit focused on 
partnership-building and regional integration.  For Suriname, 
the traditional "misfit" of the Western Hemisphere (neither 
British/French like most of the Caribbean, nor 
Spanish/Portuguese like most of South and Central America), 
the fact that the USG's highest-ranking diplomat for the 
Western Hemisphere had come to visit at all, along with 
four-star Admiral Stavridis, was noteworthy proof that the 
USG is committed to even the smallest countries in the 
region.  END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------- 
President Venetiaan Highlights Significance of High-Ranking 
U.S. Diplomatic Visit 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Flanked by his Ministers of Foreign Affairs and 
Defense, President Venetiaan invited his American visitors to 
start the meeting.  Thus prompted, A/S Shannon said that his 
visit, together with Admiral Stavridis, underscored the 
importance to the USG of bilateral and regional partnerships. 
 The visit, Shannon noted, was a followup to the USG's 2007 
Conference on the Caribbean (which Venetiaan did not attend). 
 Admiral Stavridis agreed, noting that the State/SouthCom 
collaboration deepens the USG partnership with the GOS and 
its Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs.  Stavridis 
said that the October 2007 visit to Suriname of the USN 
hospital ship "Comfort" was successful, thanks in good 
measure to GOS support.  He added that "Beyond the Horizons," 
SOUTHCOM's next big humanitarian project for Suriname, would 
start later in 2008, providing more opportunities for joint 
cooperation.  Stavridis noted that he and Shannon also sought 
to address security issues related to drugs, crime, and 
transnational threats. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) In response, President Venetiaan commented that 
Suriname had already seen visits from the U.S. military and 
the Secretary of Defense.  However, this visit marked the 
first time that an Assistant Secretary of State had been to 
Suriname.  The President noted Shannon's comments on the 
Conference on the Caribbean, and urged State to remain 
focused on commitments made and what still needed to be 
achieved, singling out the need for HIV/AIDs funding.  In an 
apparent reference to HIV/AIDs assistance provided to 
neighboring Guyana, Venetiaan said, "At times, HIV only 
understands English.  We face a problem to make it clear that 
AIDs is a scourge here."  Regarding cross-border crime, the 
President noted that combatting the trafficking in small 
weapons and drugs was a possible area for cooperation between 
our militaries and governments.  Also of interest are 
education, health care, and culture.  Suriname's development 
plan could benefit from U.S. experience in promoting 
development, specifically in technology transfer, 
carbon-based energy sources, hydropower, bio-fuels, and 
nuclear energy (which Venetiaan flagged as a sensitive 
issue).  The President also suggested that perhaps the U.S. 
could provide its outside perspective on Suriname, 
"evaluat(ing) us better than ourselves.  ... collaboration 
with others can help us do better."  On larger issues, 
Venetiaan noted that Suriname and the U.S. are close, yet far 
apart on issues ranging from geography to politics to 
economics.  Because the Surinamese dollar is linked to the 
U.S. dollar, the President said that the GOS follows 
(economic developments in) the U.S. with great interest. 
Venetiaan concluded by reiterating his satisfaction that A/S 
Shannon had taken the time to visit, asserting that it was 
important to give assurances to the Caribbean that the USG 
maintains its interest in the region.  The President 
acknowledged that Suriname, "... had governments that have 
been on the left or right.  Notwithstanding our relations 
with 'other countries' (alluding to Cuba, Venezuela, and 
 
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perhaps China), the friendship with the U.S. still remains." 
 
¶4.  (SBU) A/S Shannon agreed that there was potential for 
collaboration in many areas.  As the USG engages with 
CARICOM, no country should be left behind.  The GOS faces 
challenges on development and security issues, and the USG 
wants to be helpful.  HIV/AIDs is an important point; the USG 
objective is to expand PEPFAR, which has been successful in 
Guyana.  Shannon promised to convey Venetiaan's interest back 
to Washington, assuring the President that State meets 
regularly with Caribbean ambassadors, including Suriname's, 
to track progress on the Caribbean Conference agenda. 
Shannon said that he hoped the Caribbean Conference was only 
the first in a series of meetings on a long-term commitment. 
The Assistant Secretary assured Venetiaan that the USG 
understands the primary goal of developing nations is to 
obtain resources and assistance, and that the USG's objective 
is not to criticize, but to look for ways to highlight the 
positive. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------- 
Foreign Minister Kraag-Keteldijk Focuses on Development, 
CARICOM 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Once the meeting with President Venetiaan 
concluded, Minister Kraag-Keteldijk hurried off to prepare to 
greet A/S Shannon at the Foreign Ministry.  In her subsequent 
half-hour bilateral with the Assistant Secretary, 
Kraag-Keteldijk appeared warmer and more engaged than Post 
has (arguably) ever seen her, testament to Surinamese 
receptivity to Shannon's message of collaboration and 
partnership.  Describing Suriname as a small country with a 
small economy, unable to develop on its own, Kraag-Keteldijk 
said that the U.S. is an historic development partner for 
Suriname, dating from pre-independence (1975), and that the 
GOS is pleased with its relationships in the region, 
including with the United States.  The GOS international 
agenda includes security, broadly stated to include poverty, 
health, and environmental security.  Changing topics, the 
Minister flagged issues surrounding the International 
Criminal Court (ICC) and Article 98 as a problem from the GOS. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Maintaining his conciliatory stance, A/S Shannon 
assured the Foreign Minister that he respected the GOS 
position on the ICC, and that it was not the USG intent to 
impose its positions on other sovereign states. 
International relations were not based on single issues; the 
larger relationship was important.  Shannon explained that 
Secretary Rice favors a positive agenda for the region, based 
 
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on common values and common economic objectives.  Differences 
of opinion between sovereign states should not be avoided, 
but managed.  Issues of mutual interest have a transnational 
quality.  Consequently the USG has developed a transnational 
focus on security with an emphasis on cross-border crime but 
also including threats caused by natural disaster and 
environmental degradation.  With respect to security in the 
region, Shannon noted the upcoming (April 4) security meeting 
in Trinidad of Caribbean Heads of Government (HOGs), stating 
that the USG wants to partner with the HOGs in the aftermath 
of that meeting.  (Note: due to the tragedy of the April 3 
airplane crash in Suriname, President Venetiaan did not 
attend the April 4 meeting.) 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Continuing on the issue of regional integration, 
Shannon noted that, while in Guyana, he met with the CARICOM 
secretariat.  Believing the USG to be well-positioned to work 
 
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together with CARICOM nations individually as well as 
collectively, Shannon committed to establishing a mechanism 
in Washington to meet with Caribbean ambassadors, noting that 
he himself would meet with the ambassadors from Guyana, 
Barbados, and Suriname upon his return to the U.S.  The 
Assistant Secretary stated that he also would ask Secretary 
Rice to meet with Caribbean foreign ministers to review 
progress on achieving the objectives of the Conference on the 
Caribbean.  Although acknowledging the continued importance 
of bilateral relations, Shannon noted that much of the work 
in the Caribbean has a regional focus, and that deepening 
regional integration can help Caribbean nations to achieve 
their goals.  Kraag-Keteldijk agreed, but also noted that 
regional integration into bodies such as CARICOM also carries 
risks for small countries such as Suriname.  Referring to the 
CARICOM single market initiative, the Minister noted that the 
implementation phase had been pushed back from 2008 to 2014, 
 
PARAMARIBO 00000145  003 OF 003 
 
 
alluding to Surinamese private sector concerns over inability 
to compete with goods from more economically powerful CARICOM 
member states.  Despite the challenges, Minister 
Kraag-Keteldijk conceded that Suriname has no choice but to 
join forces with regional bodies such as CARICOM.  A/S 
Shannon agreed, stating that the USG is a firm believer in 
integration; the time is ripe for integration in the Western 
Hemisphere, where it would soon be clear what works and what 
does not.  As nations of the Americas pursue this route, 
Shannon suggested that they consider sharing their 
experiences in ways that could be helpful to others (e.g., 
Arab nations). 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
Visit of Assistant Secretary Shannon and Admiral Stavridis 
Demonstrated USG Commitment to Suriname, and to the Region 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
¶8.  (U) Although only hours-long, the Shannon/Stavridis visit 
generated considerable attention, including extensive 
front-page media coverage.  Of particular significance to the 
GOS, as both President Venetiaan and Minister Kraag-Keteldijk 
made a point to note, was the fact that the visit included a 
high-ranking State Department official (A/S Shannon). 
Without minimizing the importance of SouthCom Commander 
Admiral Stavridis' visit, GOS officials made clear that it is 
customary for the U.S. military to pay attention to Suriname. 
 It is not customary for Suriname to receive high-level USG 
visitors from Departments other than Defense.  As such, the 
March 28 visit contributed substantially to Post's primary 
Mission Strategic Goal: Mutual U.S./Suriname appreciation and 
respect contributing to a more effective partnership. 
SCHREIBER HUGHES