Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 51122 / 251,287

Articles

Browse latest releases

Browse by creation date

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Browse by classification

Community resources

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 08CARACAS1627, IOC SUB-COMMISSION FOR THE CARIBBEAN AND ADJACENT

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08CARACAS1627.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08CARACAS1627 2008-11-26 15:34 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Caracas
VZCZCXRO0468
PP RUEHAO RUEHGA RUEHGD RUEHGR RUEHHA RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHMT RUEHNG
RUEHNL RUEHQU RUEHRD RUEHRG RUEHRS RUEHTM RUEHVC
DE RUEHCV #1627/01 3311534
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 261534Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY CARACAS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2190
INFO RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1016
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 CARACAS 001627 
 
SIPDIS 
 
HQ SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
TREASURY FOR MMALLOY 
COMMERCE FOR 4431/MAC/WH/JLAO 
NOAA PASS TO WILLIAM BRENNAN, JACK DUNNIGAN 
NSF PASS TO JULIE MORRIS 
USUN PASS TO UNESCO 
ESTH-LAC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON MARR PGOV EWWT AORC ICES KRVC SENV TPHY
UNESCO, VE 
SUBJECT: IOC SUB-COMMISSION FOR THE CARIBBEAN AND ADJACENT 
REGIONS, OCT 22-26 2008 
 
 1. (U) SUMMARY:  The USDEL to the tenth session of the 
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission's Sub-Commission 
for the Caribbean and adjacent regions (IOCARIBE, 22-26 
October in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela) met its primary 
objectives:  the US was reelected as Vice Chairman for 
IOCARIBE; NOAA's proposed project regarding best management 
practices for nutrient/sediment reduction in small island 
states was adopted; and IOCARIBE adopted a three-year budget 
focused on priority programs complementing US science 
priorities.  While IOCARIBE brainstormed on ways to promote 
the 50th Anniversary of IOC in the LAC region, concern over 
the relocation of the IOCARIBE Secretary to UNESCO's Kingston 
office to undertake additional regional UNESCO 
responsibilities raised doubts about IOCARIBE's future.  The 
USDEL was lead by Bill Proenza, Director of NOAA National 
Weather Service's Southern Region, who was accompanied by 
representatives of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service 
and National Ocean Service as well as the Department of State 
(OES).  For further information regarding any of the items in 
this report, contact Arthur Paterson, NOAA/NOS, 
arthur.e.paterson@noaa.gov.  END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
IOC BUDGET CONSTRAINTS FORCE IOCARIBE MOVE TO KINGSTON 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
2. (U) In line with UN policy of decentralization and 
consolidation of programs, UNESCO reallocated resources 
originally supporting the IOCARIBE Secretariat in Cartegena, 
Colombia to a post in the UNESCO office in Kingston. 
Sidebars and consultation with USUNESCO indicated that the 
"new" post would dilute attention to IOCARIBE matters, since 
the post would also service the broader science agenda of 
UNESCO in the region.  Latin American countries noted their 
concern over relocation of services from Colombia, where a 
new Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded large marine 
ecosystem contractor team will be located.  IOCARIBE adopted 
a recommendation calling on IOC and UNESCO to make efforts to 
re-establish a full-time UNESCO post for the IOCARIBE 
Secretary and urged Member States to advocate for this 
position through their Permanent Delegates to UNESCO. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
IOCARIBE AND IOC's 50th ANNIVERSARY 2010 
---------------------------------------- 
 
3. (U) The Chair facilitated a discussion session regarding 
regional efforts to acknowledge the 50th Anniversary of IOC 
in 2010.  Some noteworthy initiatives include Venezuela's 
offer to host a joint research cruise on board the R/V 
GUAIQUERI II in September/October 2009, Cuba's call for 
participation in the XII Latin American Congress on Marine 
Sciences in October 2009 in Havana, and Brazil's interest in 
the establishment of a 50th IOC anniversary fellowship 
program.  The US should consider ways to collaborate with all 
three prospects.  (COMMENT:  Cuba's invitation brings to mind 
the need to facilitate visa processing between our countries. 
 This facilitation has already been working for well over a 
decade during all UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) 
Region IV meetings to assure attendance and participation of 
both nations.  END COMMENT.) 
 
4. (U) In addition, IOCARIBE agreed to develop a statement to 
the 2009 IOC Assembly acknowledging regional commitment to 
IOCARIBE.  Towards this end, the IOCARIBE officers will 
develop a draft statement highlighting the lifesaving and 
socio-economic value of data derived from IOC programs and 
capacity building efforts.  We expect to receive this draft 
for review by the end of January. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
STATUS OF LARGE MARINE ECOSYSTEM (LME) PROGRAMS 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
5. (U) The Caribbean LME (CLME) proposal was approved by the 
GEF in April 2008 and will receive funding for program 
implementation in 2009.  The program places heavy emphasis on 
integration of governance systems in the region, developing 
linkages from local to national to regional scales.  The 
 
CARACAS 00001627  002 OF 003 
 
 
selection of the Program Manager will be finalized by the 
IOCARIBE Secretariat within the month such that work can 
commence in January 2009.  Member states anticipate that 
climate change impacts will be addressed within the program. 
Further, since most regional attention has been devoted to 
securing CLME funding over the past several years, the 
Secretary suggested that new progress can be made in 
developing the program for the Pacific LME effort for Central 
America. 
 
6. (U) The project document for the Gulf of Mexico LME, which 
addresses both US and Mexican interests, is currently under 
review.  Scientists from the United States and Mexico met via 
conference call over the summer to prepare for program 
implementation, pending a positive outcome of the proposal 
review process.  The US and Mexico are participating in a 
planning meeting this month for the next State of the Gulf of 
Mexico Summit.  While there, they will also discuss program 
oversight and implementation of each of the three pilot 
projects. 
 
-------------------------- 
HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS (HAB) 
-------------------------- 
 
7. (U) Jose Juis Pena of Mexico has been selected as the new 
chair of the IOC Regional HAB Networks Caribbean 
Network/"Algas Nocivas en el Caribe y Regiones Adyacentes" 
(ANCA).  The next ANCA meeting will be held in February or 
March of 2009 in Antigua, Guatemala.  Planning is underway 
for the 2nd Symposium on Harmful Algal Blooms.  IOCARIBE 
acknowledged the ongoing need for regional collaboration on 
monitoring and the regulation of release of ballast water. 
Barbados suggested that IOCARIBE must combine efforts among 
Spanish-speaking Member States with those of the 
English-speaking Member States.  USDEL encouraged 
participation in the NSF-sponsored young scientist workshop 
on Advanced Tropical Phycology (Smithsonian Tropical Research 
Institute, 14 August-4 September 2009. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
INTEGRATED COASTAL AREA MANAGEMENT (ICAM) 
----------------------------------------- 
 
8. (U) IOCARIBE will invest its limited funding in two 
projects on coastal erosion and nutrient enrichment:  the US 
proposal to develop a decision support modeling system for 
four small island watersheds to reduce loading of sediment 
and nutrients into the near-shore marine environment; and the 
Colombian proposal to address coastal erosion challenges in 
the region, for which a formal proposal will be presented for 
IOCARIBE consideration during the intercessional period.  US 
identification of bilingual coastal erosion exports to 
participate in the program development could help the region 
prepare a fundable proposal. 
 
------------------------------- 
OCEAN OBSERVATIONS AND SERVICES 
------------------------------- 
 
9. (U) IOCARIBE reconfirmed prioritization for tsunami data 
management, and Caribbean marine atlas programs, and 
acknowledged that their success was dependent on IOCARIBE 
collaborations and the support for such collaboration 
provided via IOC/UNESCO budget.  The IOCARIBE-Global Ocean 
Observation System (GOOS) program was similarly endorsed as a 
priority, for which the Steering Committee would likely 
convene in March 2009.  NOAA and the USGS should plan for 
some level of technical engagement in this activity. 
 
10. (U) IOCARIBE expressed interest in clarifying the status 
of the current tide gauge network.  Cuba called for an 
updating of the status of the tide gauge network, 
acknowledging with appreciation the efforts of the 
IOCARIBE-GOOS co-chair, Doug Wilson (US).  Venezuela, 
Dominican Republic and Jamaica noted plans to install new 
tide gauges.  USDEL noted collaboration with the Caribbean 
Community Climate Change Centre that has received World Bank 
funds to enhance the observing network. 
 
CARACAS 00001627  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
------------------------------ 
BUDGET AND PROGRAM PRIORITIES: 
------------------------------ 
 
11. (U) IOCARIBE adopted a zero growth 2009-2011 budget, 
applying $80,000 among ongoing programs (GOOS, LME, ICAM) and 
program development (ICAM and HABs).  Tsunami and coastal 
hazards as well as the Caribbean Marine Atlas will be 
supported by a IOC/UNESCO allocation of $65,000 and $5,000 
respectively.  IOCARIBE's 2009 program is estimated to be USD 
$3,457,000 of which $170,500 will be supplied via IOC/UNESCO 
and $3,287,000 from extrabudgetary funds, including 1.7 
million in GEF funding for CLME and $1 million from as yet to 
be identified sources for tsunami. 
 
12. (U)  IOCARIBE reviewed existing collaborations with other 
regional organizations and announced the signing of a 
Memorandum of Agreement between the Comision Permanente del 
Pacifico Sur, a regional body addressing the Southeast 
Pacific. 
 
------------------- 
IOCARIBE LEADERSHIP 
------------------- 
 
13. (U) The election of officers reconfirmed the existing 
leadership while substituting Jamaica for Barbados as a vice 
chair (Cuba remains as chair while US and Venezuela remain as 
vice chairs.)  Jamaica's addition to the leadership team may 
enhance effective engagement of the newly established 
IOCARIBE Secretary post in Kingston. 
 
---------------------------- 
SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM ON TSUNAMI 
---------------------------- 
 
14. (U)  Venezuela hosted a two-day symposium just prior to 
the IOCARIBE meeting during which experts from the region 
provided remarks to local citizens regarding the assessment 
of risk and the critical link between technical and community 
preparedness for tsunami events.  The theme for the 
symposium, The Forgotten Danger ("El Peligro Olvidado") was 
taken from the assessment of the tsunami threat to life in 
the Caribbean Basin provided by the US head of Delegation, 
Bill Proenza, during the 2006 IOCARIBE meeting in Cartagena, 
Colombia.  During the symposium, Proenza's presentation was 
delivered by the IOCARIBE Secretary, Cesar Toro.  Among other 
speakers was Aurelio Mercado of the University of Puerto Rico 
Seismic Research Unit, who provided clear explanation of 
technical evidence regarding the threat to the region and the 
necessity of international collaboration for observation 
networks.  A Venezuelan Meteorological Service representative 
argued that "there is no such thing as natural disasters, but 
there are extreme events with which we must learn to live." 
Overall, the large audience seemed quite receptive and 
significantly appreciative of this informative event which 
will likely stimulate community initiation of their own 
preparedness measures. 
 
------------- 
NEXT IOCARIBE 
------------- 
 
15. (U) The Dominican Republic offered to host the next 
IOCARIBE meeting and scientific symposium in the last quarter 
of 2010.  While several ideas were suggested for the 
symposium (Cuba: sustaining ocean observation systems, US: 
interface of science and policy, and coastal zone management 
problems), IOCARIBE agreed this symposium would be further 
developed by the officers in conjunction with the host 
country in light of the domestic audience. 
 
CAULFIELD