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C O N F I D E N T I A L PARTO 042301 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY 
 
SIPDIS 
LA PAZ FOR A/DCM LAMBERT 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2019 
TAGS: OVIP CLINTON HILLARY PREL SNAR ETRD EAID
CVIS, CU, VE, HA, DR 
SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Clinton's April 17, 2009 Meeting 
with Dominican President Leonel Fernandez 
 
¶1. (U) Classified by: Paul Wohlers, Deputy Executive 
Secretary, S/ES, Department of State. Reason 1.4 (d) 
 
¶2. (U) April 17, 2009; 9:45 a.m.; Santo Domingo, 
Dominican Republic. 
 
¶3. (U) Participants: 
 
U.S. 
The Secretary 
Charge d'Affaires Roland Bullen 
A/S Thomas Shannon, WHA 
Cheryl Mills, Chief of Staff to the Secretary 
Anne-Marie Slaughter, Director of Policy Planning Staff 
Lt. General Paul Selva, Assistant to the Chairman of the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff 
Ellen Dunlap (Embassy Notetaker) 
 
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 
President Leonel Fernandez 
Carlos Morales Troncoso, Secretary for Foreign Affairs 
Temistocles Montas, Secretary for Economy, Development 
and Planning 
Franklin Almeyda, Secretary for Interior and Police 
 
¶4. (C) Summary. In a cordial meeting, the Secretary and 
President Fernandez emphasized the importance of a 
bilateral relationship based on close economic, security, 
and cultural ties. Fernandez expressed concern over 
increased drug trafficking and requested additional U.S. 
assistance to provide training and technology. The 
Secretary said counter-narcotics efforts were a priority 
for the U.S. government and noted the importance of the 
upcoming security dialogue with the Caribbean. The 
Secretary expressed an interest in seeing Fernandez play 
an increased role in the region, including by convincing 
Venezuela to cooperate on anti-narcotics efforts. She 
also said the United States wanted to work with the 
Dominican Republic (DR) to create investment 
opportunities in Haiti. 
 
¶5. (C) Summary, cont. Fernandez indicated his desire to 
reopen consulates in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and 
Jacksonville, as well as new missions in Houston and New 
Jersey. He requested a review of a U.S. policy that 
prevents Dominican legal permanent residents (LPRs) from 
being appointed as Consuls. Fernandez asked the 
Secretary to share information on Government of the 
Dominican Republic (GODR) military and civilian officials 
who have had their U.S. visas cancelled, so that the GODR 
can take action against them if appropriate. Fernandez 
specifically asked the Secretary to review cases 
involving General Medina Medina, the head of security at 
the Palace, and Teonilde Casado de Cheung, Consul General 
to Hong Kong. Fernandez said the DR had not benefitted 
from CAFTA-DR yet, but that he was hopeful improvements 
in the workforce and the DR's competitiveness would bring 
positive results over the long-term. Secretary Montas 
inquired whether the Millennium Challenge Corporation 
(MCC) could show any flexibility on its indicators in 
order to allow the DR to receive assistance for education 
and health. End Summary. 
 
 
Counter-narcotics Cooperation 
----------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) President Fernandez expressed concern over the 
security situation as a result of increased drug and arms 
trafficking in the region over the last six years. He 
said the Iraq war had caused a shift in U.S. policy 
leading to a decrease in maritime patrol and air 
surveillance. Fernandez requested an increase in U.S. 
cooperation, noting that the $2.5 million in Merida money 
for FY 2009 was not enough, and referred to the large 
amount of resources that had been given to Plan Colombia. 
In addition to monetary assistance, the DR also needed 
training and technology assistance in order to prepare 
personnel to prevent drug trafficking and prosecute 
traffickers. The Secretary for Interior and Police 
Almeyda specifically noted the need for radar to track 
flights and for increased technology exchanges. Almeyda 
said that drug trafficking was a sensitive issue for the 
DR because it affected tourism and the entire economy. 
Fernandez added that the problem must be addressed more 
seriously because it weakens institutions through the 
corruption of judges and the military. 
 
¶7. (C) The Secretary emphasized that counter-narcotics 
cooperation was a priority for the bilateral 
relationship. She said that the United States saw no 
evidence that maritime and air surveillance had decreased 
over the last few years. She agreed that a plan was 
needed for the region and noted the importance of the 
upcoming security dialogue with the Caribbean that will 
be held in May in Suriname. The Secretary urged the DR 
to send a high level representative to the meeting and 
asked Fernandez to help the Central American and 
Caribbean countries understand the importance of working 
together. A/S Shannon added that the United States will 
want to hear from countries about their needs for 
training and capacity building. He said the United 
States understood their concerns about resources and was 
trying to identify funding in the FY 2010 budget. The 
Secretary said that, while the Merida Plan had been 
focused on Mexico and Central America, the U.S. may seek 
to expand the initiative and will look at the entire 
region. She underscored the need for countries to show a 
strong commitment to fighting drug trafficking and not 
allowing any safe havens. 
 
¶8. (C) The Secretary expressed concern that most of the 
drugs coming to the DR were being brought through 
Venezuela and that there was no way to track those 
flights. She asked for Fernandez's help in reaching out 
to Chavez to increase cooperation. The Secretary said 
that she did not know if Chavez would cooperate at a high 
level for planning, but added that the United States 
would like to bring Venezuela into the dialogue. The 
Secretary told Fernandez he was a critical leader and a 
strong partner on these issues. She noted the United 
States would like to see him play a more important role 
in the region. Fernandez said he hoped he could act as a 
bridge on these matters. 
 
CAFTA-DR 
-------- 
 
 
 
¶9. (SBU) President Fernandez said that the DR has not 
benefitted from CAFTA-DR yet, but that he was optimistic 
that the country would see improvements over the next 
four to five years. He noted the need to develop a 
national strategy for competitiveness, increase worker 
productivity, develop a skilled workforce, and increase 
technology. Fernandez noted the importance of the U.S. 
economy to the DR in terms of investment, remittances, 
and tourism. He said it was a priority to strengthen 
bilateral relations as a result of these close economic 
ties. 
 
MCC 
--- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Secretary for Economy, Development, and 
Planning Montas said that the GODR had been working with 
USAID for several years to improve the indicators for the 
Millennium Challenge Account. He noted the GODR had made 
the most progress in improving the economic 
competitiveness indicators. Montas acknowledged the need 
to improve the indicators for investing in education and 
health, but said that the 2003 economic crisis had 
prevented the government from reaching the required 
funding levels. He expressed concern that the global 
economic crisis also would limit the availability of 
resources for health and education. Montas requested 
more flexibility on conditions for meeting the indicators 
required for MCC funding in order to provide assistance 
for health and education programs. The Secretary noted 
that the MCC was established to provide a different model 
for assistance. She said the MCC Board oversees the 
process and sets the criteria, which they are committed 
to meeting. The Secretary said she would like to see if 
there is a way to work together to make progress on 
meeting the indicators, which are important benchmarks. 
She said she would talk to the MCC staff about this 
issue. 
 
¶11. (SBU) President Fernandez said there is a Dominican 
law mandating four percent of GDP be devoted to education 
spending, but that the GODR is spending only 2.9 percent. 
He said he hopes to reach the four percent goal by 2012 
and noted the DR has requested a $200 million loan from 
the World Bank for education. Fernandez said the GODR is 
spending one percent of GDP on healthcare while the law 
requires 3.5 percent. He said as a result of the 2003 
economic crisis, the government is required to pay $600 
million this year to recapitalize the Central Bank. 
Fernandez said this payment, in addition to the $700 
million required for the subsidy to the electricity 
sector, prevented the government from allocating more 
money to the health sector. 
 
¶12. (SBU) In regard to the electricity sector, Fernandez 
noted a recently implemented law to criminalize 
electricity theft and said the inability of the 
distributors to collect revenues from over one million 
households was the reason the government needs to provide 
the subsidy. He also said that the distribution company, 
now owned half by the government and half by a U.S. 
company, eventually will become state-owned. 
 
 
 
Haiti 
----- 
 
¶13. (SBU) The Secretary emphasized that the United States 
wants to work closely with the GODR on Haiti and that 
steps taken to improve the situation in Haiti also will 
benefit the DR. She noted that Chief of Staff Cheryl 
Mills will be leading efforts on Haiti, including helping 
to improve security and increase job creation and 
agricultural productivity. The Secretary expressed 
support for Dominican investments in textile factories on 
the border, where the assembly work is done in Haiti and 
the higher value work is done in the DR. She urged 
Dominican investors to go back into Haiti and said the 
United States would like to work with the DR on 
identifying opportunities for investors. Foreign 
Minister Morales said the DR-Haiti Mixed Bilateral 
Commission would soon start up again and that work had 
already begun on identifying the sectors that would be 
addressed, including the environment. He also said that 
the DR hoped to sign a free trade agreement with Haiti in 
five years. The Secretary noted that the environment and 
renewable energy go hand in hand and should be considered 
jointly. She also noted that migration is a big problem 
for the DR. The Secretary said that the United States 
has suggestions that the Mixed Bilateral Commission could 
consider and would like to work with both countries. 
 
Opening of Consulates and LPR Waivers for Consuls 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶14. (U) President Fernandez expressed interest in re- 
opening consulates in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and 
Jacksonville, which he said had been closed after 
September 11 for security reasons. He also said the GODR 
was planning to open new consulates in Houston and New 
Jersey, where 300,000 Dominicans reside. 
 
¶15. (U) Fernandez said that, according to the Dominican 
constitution, Dominicans with dual citizenship can be 
appointed consuls, as is the case in Europe. However, he 
noted the U.S. policy that U.S. citizens and Dominican 
legal permanent residents (LPRs) may not serve as 
consuls. Fernandez added that many Dominican LPRs have 
become community leaders. He asked the Secretary to 
review the policy preventing Dominican LPRs from being 
appointed consuls. The Secretary said she would look 
into the matter. 
 
Visa revocations 
---------------- 
 
¶16. (C) Fernandez expressed concern over the lack of 
information sharing by the United States in cases 
involving government officials who have had their visas 
revoked. He noted that currently the United States 
cancels the person's visa with no explanation to the 
GODR. Fernandez requested a change in the procedure to 
provide a reason to the GODR for the cancellation. He 
said if there were strong evidence the government could 
take appropriate legal action, but without any 
information they cannot do anything. Fernandez 
 
 
specifically requested the Secretary review two cases 
involving General Medina Medina, the Head of Security at 
the Palace, and Teonilde Casado de Cheung, Consul General 
to Hong Kong. He said that there was a power struggle in 
the military and this issue was affecting Medina's image. 
If Medina had done anything wrong, he would be punished. 
Regarding Casado, Fernandez said the government had 
reviewed allegations of irregularity in visa issuances 
and found no evidence of wrongdoing. The Secretary said 
she would look into the matter and get back to him. 
 
Other Topics Raised at April 16 Dinner 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶17. (U) On April 16, President Fernandez hosted a small 
non-working dinner for the Secretary that included 
several prominent Dominican businessmen and entertainers. 
 
U.S. Participants 
 
The Secretary 
Charge d'Affaires Bullen 
A/S Shannon, WHA 
Anne-Marie Slaughter, Director of Policy Planning Staff 
Huma Abedin, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary 
 
Dominican Participants 
 
President Fernandez 
First Lady Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez 
Vice President Rafael Francisco Aburquerque 
Carlos Morales Troncoso, Secretary for Foreign Affairs 
Temistocles Montas, Secretary for Economy, Development 
and Planning 
Cabinet Secretary Luis Manuel Bonetti 
Presidential Secretary Cesar Pina Toribio 
 
¶18. (SBU) Topics covered at the dinner included: 
 
Cuba: Fernandez said the United States should do more on 
Cuba and that this would be an issue at the Summit of the 
Americas. The Secretary said the United States would 
wait to see how Cuba responded to changes in U.S. policy. 
 
Pre-clearance: Frank Ranieri, a large Dominican investor 
in the tourism sector, asked about the possibility of 
establishing pre-clearance for immigration in the DR. He 
raised this in the context of Cuba opening up to tourism 
and the DR's need to compete. FM Morales also mentioned 
this issue in passing during the bilateral meeting. 
 
Renewable energy: Fernandez said renewable energy had 
good prospects in the DR, but that the price of oil 
needed to remain around $60 per barrel in order to make 
this feasible. 
 
Deportees: Fernandez said the GODR needed more 
information on deportees in order to better monitor them. 
The Secretary said the United States did not currently 
have a common database for the prison system, but that 
efforts were underway to create one. 
CLINTON