Among the most fascinating documents to come out of the WikiLeaks revelations is a cable allegedly sent by the head of the US Interests Section in Havana, Jonathan Farrar, on August 11, 2009. The document is a virtual diplomatic bombshell. It could prove a source of embarrassment to all three governments concerned–the U.S., the Cuban and the Jamaican…
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2o letters of protest from Cuba from 2006 to 2009–Jamaica Security Minister The Gleaner
Offical Statement from the Government of Jamaica on the WikiLeaked cable
The statement confirms there there were complaints from Cuba in 2009; and reports on actions taken by the Jamaican Government in response.Cuba blasts US–dismisses Wikileaks cables Jamaica Observer
“Cuba’s dissatisfaction is with the United States, which is the world’s largest drug consumer and an important centre for money laundering, stemming from drug trafficking,” Ambassador Gala told the Observer.
US tried to discredit Cuban eye care in Jamaica, WikiLeaks cable reveals Jamaica Observer
US diplomatic staff in Cuba are said to have looked for “human interest stories and other news that shatters the myth of Cuban medical prowess, which has become a key feature of the regime’s foreign policy and its self-congratulatory propaganda.”
This is a slightly revised version of my earlier Comment, including the ‘h” in my last name. Thank you.
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Nice piece, Norman!
The ” revelation” of Cuban-US narcotics cooperation should not be new to some observers of the region. That cooperation began in earnest over two decades ago, although, for reasons you will understand, it was kept soto voce by both sides. In DRUGS AND SECURITY IN THE CARIBBEAN: SOVEREIGNTY UNDER SIEGE (Penn State Press, 1997) I discussed both some of the drug challenges facing Cuba and some areas of Cuban-US counternarcotics cooperation.
What is new to me, and troubling, is the alleged diffidence on the part of Jamaican authorities in relation to collaboration overtures from Cuba. I trust that beyond the platitudinous denials by the Jamaican National Security Minister there will be a serious effort to determine where there are opportunities to deepen cooperation and that those opportunities will be pursued.
But beyond Jamaica’s dealings with Cuba on this vital matter one hopes that the relevant Jamaican authorities will use this episode as a teachable moment and do a reality check regarding its counternarcotics strategy generally, in both its domestic and international aspects.
Statement from the Office of the Prime Minister on the allegations contained in WikiLeaks report
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Following the publication on Tuesday, of what is reported to be a classified internal missive by an official of the US Interests Section in Havana, Cuba which commented negatively on Jamaica’s level of cooperation with Cuba in countering drug trafficking, the Prime Minister directed the Minister of National Security to carry out investigations into the allegations and submit a report to him.
The investigations confirm that in 2009 concern was expressed by officials of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior about the failure of the unit within the JCF to adequately respond to communication from its Cuban counterpart. The officer who headed that unit and who had been assigned in 2006 was replaced and the unit was reorganized and renamed the Transnational Crime Narcotics Division. Since then, there has been full and active cooperation between Jamaica and Cuba on counter-narcotics surveillance and interdiction and no concern has been expressed by officials of the Cuban government. This cooperation has since assisted in the conviction of a number of persons on charges of drug trafficking.
Officers from the Transnational Crime Narcotics Division and other security forces personnel have made a number of visits to Cuba, the most recent being less than a month ago, to confer with Cuban authorities on ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and measures to strengthen cooperation between Jamaica and Cuba. These include greater interface among high level officers of both countries involved in counter narcotics, intelligence sharing and interdiction operations.