VZCZCXRO3529
OO RUEHGR
DE RUEHKG #0516/01 1581954
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 061954Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6434
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0474
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 2298
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0288
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUMIAAA/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KINGSTON 000516 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT PASS CENTRAL AMERICAN CARIBBEAN BASIN COLLECTIVE FOR INFO 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR - JOE TILGHMAN PRM/MCE - MAURA NICHOLSON 
WHA/PPC - SCOTT MILLER 
INL/LP - NATALIA BOZZOLO 
INR/IAA - ROBERT CARHART 
EEB/TPP/ABT - GARY CLEMENTS 
L/PM - THOMAS HEROLD 
AGRICULTURE FOR CJACKSON AND MHOUSE 
TREASURY FOR ERIN NEPHEW 
JUSTICE FOR ROBERT LIPMANN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL ETRD EAGR EAID ECON SNAR MARR MOPS PHUM
AORC, PINR, OAS, IADB, JM, ZI, XL 
SUBJECT: JAMAICA: WIDE-RANGING MEETING WITH FOREIGN MINISTER 
 
REF: A. 07 KINGSTON 1805 (202141Z DEC 07)(NOTAL) 
     ¶B. KINGSTON 124 (111206Z FEB 08)(NOTAL) 
     ¶C. STATE 55816 (232103Z MAY 08)(NOTAL) 
     ¶D. STATE 53346 (192347Z MAY 08)(NOTAL) 
     ¶E. 07 KINGSTON 1663 (151510Z NOV 07)(NOTAL) 
     ¶F. STATE 58553 (312239Z MAY 08)(NOTAL) 
     ¶G. STATE 54616 (212051Z MAY 08)(NOTAL) 
 
Summary 
-------- 
 
1.(SBU)  In a wide-ranging private meeting with Jamaica's 
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Ambassador 
addressed: 
 
-- Jamaica's current serious crime wave; 
 
-- new Customs Commissioner and retention of respected 
Police Commissioner; 
 
-- inbound USG security-related assistance requested by 
Jamaica; 
 
-- Zimbabwe; 
 
-- food prices and inflation; 
 
-- proposed Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA); 
 
-- release of 2008 TIP Report; 
 
-- support for IOM DG candidate Ambassador Swing. 
 
End Summary. 
 
Two positive developments: 
Walker to Customs, Lewin to continue as Police Commissioner 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
2.(SBU)  The Government of Jamaica (GoJ)'s Deputy Prime 
Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade 
Dr. Kenneth Baugh, accompanied by Assistant Director for 
Bilateral Relations Shorna-Kay Richards, met privately with 
Ambassador, accompanied by DCM and PolOff, on June 4 at the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (MFAFT) to 
discuss a number of pending issues.  Ambassador began by 
congratulating the Government of Jamaica (GoJ) on the 
appointment of the widely respected former Commissioner of 
Elections Danville Walker as the new Commissioner of 
Customs, noting that the Embassy has worked closely with 
Walker in recent years and has full confidence in his 
abilities and integrity (both sorely needed to reform 
Jamaican Customs).  She then added that the U.S. was 
greatly relieved that Commissioner of Police Rear Admiral 
Hardley Lewin (ref A) had withdrawn his resignation; Lewin 
deserved the full support of both the U.S. and Jamaica in 
ongoing efforts to reduce the country's spiraling crime 
rate and root out corruption in the Jamaica Constabulary 
Force (JCF). 
 
Inbound USG security-related assistance requested by GoJ 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
--------------- 
 
3.(SBU)  In response to Prime Minister (PM) Bruce Golding's 
request that donor countries focus on Jamaica's near-term 
security needs, conveyed by Minister Baugh in a private 
meeting with her in January (ref B), Ambassador noted that 
the USG has since ordered the following items/equipment for 
delivery as requested to the GoJ: 
 
KINGSTON 00000516  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
-- a new Firearm Assimilation Training System (FACTS); 
-- eleven new motor vehicles to arrive over the next month 
(for which we would appreciate expedited customs 
clearance); 
-- a video/witness identification system. 
 
Baugh expressed the GoJ's appreciation for U.S. assistance 
to Jamaica as the country grappled with the current crime 
wave and sought to reform the JCF and Customs. 
 
Zimbabwe 
------------- 
 
4.(SBU)  Ambassador then inquired regarding the GoJ's 
position with respect to the dramatic unfolding 
developments in Zimbabwe (ref C).  Baugh replied that a 
recent press release had expressed the GoJ's serious 
concerns over the current situation there, which also had 
been discussed in Cabinet.  In response to Ambassador's 
inquiry, he said that prior to the most recent elections 
Zimbabwe had invited Jamaica to send observers, but that 
the GoJ had declined because of concerns that they might be 
maneuvered into rubber-stamping a dubious outcome.  Baugh 
then said that, if the OAS were invited to send observers 
to the June 27 run-off elections, then "under the right 
circumstances Jamaica would consider participating."  He 
noted that the MFAFT's Minister of State, Dr. Ronald 
Robinson, had not yet reported the outcome of the OAS 
General Assembly meeting which had just concluded in 
Medellin. 
 
Food Prices and Inflation: "relatively lucky -- no riots or 
protests yet" 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
------------- 
 
5.(SBU)  Ambassador then turned to the recent dramatic 
increases in food, commodity, and oil prices which have 
been particularly acute for Jamaica (among the world's most 
oil-dependent countries, with a currency which has declined 
against the U.S. dollar).  She said the U.S. recognized 
Jamaicans were enduring difficult days, and noted that 
USAID's extensive ongoing activities in support of 
agriculture and greenhouse development should benefit the 
economy.  She also noted that, as the largest contributor 
to the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the U.S. has 
given full support to the IADB's recently-announced food 
package for the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as its 
recent new loans and technical assistance to Jamaica. 
 
6.(SBU)  Baugh said that, in light of the serious impact of 
escalating food and oil prices on ordinary Jamaicans, the 
country had been "relatively lucky: we've not yet had riots 
or protests."  The GoJ had moved quickly to implement 
temporary basic food subsidies; these were now being 
extended to sustain the poorest families "in a targeted 
manner."  He noted that Jamaica had obtained a CARICOM 
exemption to purchase additional rice supplies from the 
U.S.  As a middle-income country, Jamaica fell into a 
"twilight zone," in which it was not poor enough to qualify 
for many forms of international assistance, but 
nevertheless struggled to afford food.  He hoped that 
Guyana, Belize, Suriname, and Jamaica could boost rice 
production to meet the needs of CARICOM states. 
 
7.(SBU)  Ambassador noted that the U.S. considers 
agricultural biotechnology an important tool to fight 
global hunger, and provided a copy of the aide-memoire 
reftel (D).  Baugh (also a distinguished physician) 
 
KINGSTON 00000516  003 OF 003 
 
 
reminisced that the first "green revolution" in the 1960s 
and 70s had been tremendously beneficial to India and 
Brazil, and said Jamaica "would love to be involved in any 
new international green revolution to stimulate 
agricultural production in the tropics." 
 
Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) 
--------------------------------- 
 
8.(SBU)  Ambassador and DCM then inquired regarding the 
status of the GoJ's legal review of the proposed SOFA 
between the U.S. and Jamaica (ref E), noting that, with the 
start of the hurricane season, a SOFA would facilitate the 
movement of USG equipment, supplies, and personnel to 
Jamaica should an emergency arise; also, a SOFA would 
facilitate the "Beyond the Horizons" exercise scheduled for 
March-June, 2009 in Jamaica.  Baugh said that MFAFT staff 
would check with the Legal Advisor and be in touch with the 
Embassy. 
 
2008 TIP Report 
--------------- 
 
9.(SBU)  Per reftel (F), Ambassador then noted that the 
2008 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report had just been 
released in Washington, and provided Baugh a copy of 
Jamaica's country narrative.  She said the U.S. recognized 
that Jamaica had taken significant steps in the last year, 
to include passage of anti-trafficking legislation and 
arrests of traffickers; the U.S. hoped that convictions now 
would follow, and that Jamaica would move from Tier 2 to 
Tier 1 in 2009. 
 
IOM DG Candidate Ambassador Swing 
--------------------------------- 
 
10.(SBU)  Ambassador concluded by reiterating U.S. interest 
in the June 18 election in Geneva of the new Director 
General (DG) of the International Organization for 
Migration (IOM), noting that Ambassador Swing has more 
committed votes than any other candidate, and that Jamaica 
has ratified the two-term limit amendment.  Baugh said the 
GoJ would carefully consider the points provided (ref G), 
but did not commit to support any of the candidates. 
 
JOHNSON