US embassy cable - 05KINGSTON1622

UNCLAS KINGSTON 001622 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAR (BENT) AND WHA/PPC (PUCCETTI) 
DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP (OWEN) AND (ETERNO) 
SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD AND J7 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM, KWMN, OPRC, PHUM, PREL, SMIG, JM, TIP 
SUBJECT: CABINET OFFICE HOSTS TIP WORKING SESSION 
 
REF: A. KINGSTON 01611 
 
     B. SIEBENGARTNER/BENT FAX 06/29/05 
 
1. On June 28, the Cabinet Office hosted a working meeting 
with USAID Mission Director and Poloff to review actions 
taken to date by the GOJ to combat trafficking in persons 
(TIP).  The meeting had been scheduled as a follow up to a 
June 24 meeting on TIP at the Ministry of National Security 
(MNS) hosted by Minister of National Security Peter Phillips 
(Ref A).  In attendance from the GOJ were Ann-Marie Bonner, 
Principal Director, Policy Analysis and Review Unit, Office 
of the Cabinet; Gladys Young, Attorney General's Chambers, 
Ministry of Justice; Woodrow Smith, Principal Director, MNS; 
Karl Hamilton, Security, Intelligence, and Operations 
Division, MNS; Allison Anderson, Chief Executive Officer, 
Child Development Agency (CDA); Audrey Budhi, Director of 
Policy, Planning, and Evaluation, CDA; and Pamela Ingleton, 
International Organizations Department, Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs and Foreign Trade. 
 
2. The meeting was chaired by Bonner, whose office has taken 
the lead on TIP for the GOJ.  Bonner expressed that, in 
anticipation of the July 14-15 evaluation visit by Department 
TIP representatives, the GOJ is very interested in USG 
feedback on the actions it had already taken against 
trafficking, which were outlinted in a document shared with 
emboffs on June 24 (Ref B).  Poloff replied that, while the 
apparent progress was promising, the lack of detail provided 
on each of the actions was likely to raise questions from 
Department visitors.  The remainder of the meeting, which 
lasted approximately 90 minutes, was devoted to a 
point-by-point review and clarification of GOJ actions taken 
to date.  For example, where the GOJ indicated that "A Task 
Force is in place," Poloff requested a list of its members, 
their titles, and the GOJ agencies they represented, in 
addition to how often the group had met and what the tangible 
results of its meetings had been.  A similar line of 
questioning was introduced for each GOJ action, at the 
conclusion of which Bonner promised that she would prepare a 
written response for the Embassy. 
 
3. Bonner also asked about the agenda of the July 14-15 visit 
by Department representatives.  Poloff replied that the 
schedule was currently being planned, but that the Embassy 
would welcome input from the GOJ on whom they considered to 
be the most appropriate and effective points of contact 
during the visit.  Poloff assured Bonner that the visitors 
would like a detailed briefing from the GOJ TIP Task Force, 
and suggested that some involvement by a senior GOJ official 
might be impactful.  Bonner said that her office would 
respond with a proposed schedule of GOJ meetings for the July 
visit. 
 
4. Comment: Despite Peter Phillips' disingenuous posturing in 
front of Charge on June 24 (Ref A), it appears that the GOJ 
has in fact begun to take concrete steps in response to 
Department's suggested Tier 3 Action Plan.  The involvement 
of the Cabinet Office on this matter, possibly at the request 
of the Prime Minister himself, seems to be just the impetus 
the GOJ needs to get its disparate agencies lined up behind 
the TIP issue.  With one day's notice, Bonner was able to 
assemble seven mid- to high-level officials representing five 
different ministries, a feat that under normal circumstances 
might have required weeks of planning and at least one 
diplomatic note.  The GOJ should now have a thorough 
understanding of USG expectations during this 60-day grace 
period, and appears to have completed approximately one-third 
of the fifteen suggestions in the Tier 3 Action Plan, with 
another one-third reasonably achievable in the short-term. 
End Comment. 
TIGHE