US embassy cable - 05PARAMARIBO721

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000721 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR LLUFTIG AND L/PM TMITCHELL 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: MARR, MASS, PREL, PGOV, NS 
SUBJECT: SOFA WITH SURINAME IN FORCE 
 
 
1. On November 1, the Embassy received a diplomatic note 
dated October 20 from Suriname's Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs confirming acceptance of the text of a Status of 
Forces Agreement (SOFA) proposed in the Embassy's note of 
April 11, 2005. The SOFA was approved by Suriname's 
Parliament on June 23 under the implicit approval provision 
of the Constitution.  On June 24, in response to a 
question, the then Speaker of the Parliament, now Vice 
President indicated that the SOFA was in force. 
 
2. There is no explanation for the prolonged delay between 
procedural approval and the receipt of official 
notification, but it is not out of the ordinary.  The 
Ministry's note concludes by noting that the agreement 
shall be deemed to have entered into force as of the date 
of the note. 
 
3. Embassy will fax copies of the notes to L/PM and pouch 
certified copies to L/T. 
 
4. Comment: Conclusion of the SOFA is the result of a long, 
hard effort by Embassy Paramaribo.  In 2004, Suriname lost 
the chance to host an orphaned New Horizons exercise, which 
would have been a first for the country.  Although a draft 
SOFA had been before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 
more than two years, it was only on the eve of the 
exercise's arrival that the GoS concluded that proposed 
language regarding exemption from customs inspection made 
the draft unacceptable, and the exercise went to Guyana. 
This absurd loss of a valuable opportunity prompted the 
Embassy to launch an all-out effort to obtain a SOFA. 
Perhaps stung by criticism from a public put out that the 
exercise and its monetary benefits went to neighboring 
Guyana, the government agreed to engage.  Even then, 
constant pressure from the Ambassador was required to move 
the process along.  After the Asia tsunami, Ambassador made 
sure that having a SOFA in place expedited the provision of 
relief by U.S. military personnel.  Post warned that an 
agreement was a prerequisite for future exercises, as the 
previous practice of relying on an exercise-specific 
exchange of notes was too time consuming, and Suriname's 
habit of eleventh hour response didn't mesh with our 
planning timetable.  When no agreement was approved by late 
Spring, an exercise planned for August was scrubbed. 
 
4. The Embassy now finds itself with a SOFA, but, with no 
military exercises planned for the foreseeable future, the 
agreement appears to be of minimal value, unless there were 
a need to bring in military personnel on short notice to 
respond to a disaster.  It is a pity that our forward 
planning seems to preclude actually exercising the 
agreement we sought so hard to obtain. 
 
BARNES 
 
 
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