U.S.-SAINT LUCIA RELATIONS

Map:  Saint Lucia.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. STATE DELPARTMENT
The United States and Saint Lucia have a cooperative relationship. The United States supports the Saint Lucian Government's efforts to expand its economic base and improve the lives of its citizens. Saint Lucia has cooperated with the United States on security concerns. Saint Lucia and the United States share an interest in combating international crime and narcotics trafficking. Because of Saint Lucia's geographical location, it is an appealing transit point for narcotraffickers. In response to this threat, Saint Lucia has concluded various bilateral treaties with the United States, including a maritime law enforcement agreement (subsequently amended to include overflight and order-to-land provisions), a mutual legal assistance treaty, and an extradition treaty.

The United States maintains no diplomatic presence in Saint Lucia. The Ambassador and Embassy officers are resident in Barbados but travel regularly to Saint Lucia.

U.S. Assistance to Saint Lucia

St. Lucia is an active participant in the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, a partnership between the United States and the countries of the Caribbean dedicated to increasing citizen security throughout the region. The Peace Corps, whose Eastern Caribbean regional headquarters is located in Saint Lucia, has 22 volunteers in Saint Lucia, working primarily in business development, education, and health. In addition, Saint Lucia benefits from U.S. military exercises and humanitarian civic action construction projects.

Bilateral Economic Relations

Saint Lucia's economy depends primarily on revenue from tourism. More visitors to Saint Lucia are from the United States than any other country. Saint Lucia is a beneficiary of the Caribbean Basin Initiative, which aims to facilitate the economic development and export diversification of the Caribbean Basin economies by providing beneficiary countries with duty-free access to the U.S. market for most goods. The single most significant foreign investment in Saint Lucia is U.S.-based Hess Oil's large petroleum storage and transshipment terminal. Saint Lucia does not have a bilateral investment treaty with the United States.

Saint Lucia's Membership in International Organizations

Saint Lucia's foreign relations emphasize mutual economic cooperation and trade and investment. The country seeks to conduct its foreign policy chiefly through its membership in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. Saint Lucia and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, Organization of American States, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization

Saint Lucia Locator Map.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979.

Population: 162,178 (July 2012 est.)

RESOLUTION ON MALI



Map Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. STATE DELPARTMENT
UNSC Adoption of Resolution on Mali

Press Statement
Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
October 12, 2012

The United States supports the resolution on Mali adopted by the UN Security Council today as a comprehensive approach to the overlapping governance, security, and humanitarian crises affecting Mali.

This resolution today accomplishes a number of important objectives: it imposes targeted sanctions against AQIM individuals and entities in Mali, supports a negotiation process to seek a sustainable political solution with the North, provides support and assistance from the UN and member states to bolster planning efforts by ECOWAS and the African Union, and expresses the readiness of the Security Council to respond to the request from the Transitional authorities of Mali regarding a potential force to assist the Malian armed forces.

The United States believes that ECOWAS and the AU should play a prominent role in planning and implementing any such response, with strong and active support from the international community. Both military and civilian elements will be essential in responding to the emerging threats in Mali and the Sahel. The U.S. government’s objectives to address the situation in Mali include restoring the authority of the State of Mali over its entire national territory, upholding the unity and territorial integrity of Mali, and confronting the threat posed by AQIM and affiliated groups.

Strengthening democratic institutions must be at the heart of combating extremism and political upheaval. Accordingly, we believe that restoration of democratically-elected government in Mali by April 2013, as called for by ECOWAS, is a crucial component of the overall long-term solution to Mali’s current crises.

Finally, we welcome the appointment of Special Envoy Romano Prodi. The Secretary General should empower the envoy to marshal U.N. resources to help Bamako hold elections by April 2013, and to engage with Malian, Tuareg and regional stakeholders to promote a negotiated settlement to the Tuareg rebellion. In addition, the envoy should support U.N. OCHA’s ongoing efforts to improve the international response to the humanitarian crisis in the Sahel region.

We look forward to the report called for by today’s resolution and for continued international attention regarding the situation in Mali.

U.S.-SWITZERLAND RELATIONS

Photo Credit:  U.S. State Department.
FROM:  U.S. STATE DELPARTMENTThe United States established diplomatic relations with Switzerland in 1853 following the formation of a unified Swiss state. Switzerland is a democratic country subscribing to the fundamental ideals with which the United States also is identified. The country is politically stable with an essentially strong economy. It has played an increasingly important role in supporting the spread of democratic institutions and values worldwide, as well as providing humanitarian relief and economic development assistance. U.S. policy toward Switzerland takes these factors into account and seeks to cooperate with Switzerland to the extent consistent with Swiss neutrality.

The United States and Switzerland have signed a number of agreements creating mechanisms that deepen cooperation and improve the relationship: the Enhanced Political Cooperation Framework, the Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum, and the revised Operative Working Arrangement on Law Enforcement Cooperation on Counterterrorism. The centerpiece of the Enhanced Political Cooperation Framework is an annual senior-level meeting, the Joint Working Group. Another vehicle for bilateral cooperation is the U.S.-Swiss Joint Economic Commission, which covers anti-money laundering efforts, counterterrorism, regulatory cooperation, and intellectual property rights, among other topics.

U.S. Assistance to Switzerland

The United States provides no development assistance to Switzerland.

Bilateral Economic Relations

Switzerland is a member of the European Free Trade Association, whose countries are significant markets for U.S. exporters and investors. The two countries have a long history of cooperation both bilaterally and within the World Trade Organization. The United States is one of the top destinations for Swiss investment and is one of the largest foreign investors in Switzerland. The United States and Switzerland have signed an agreement creating a trade and investment forum to assess areas where the two governments could facilitate greater trade and investment flows.

U.S. exports to Switzerland include gold, pharmaceutical products, art and antiques, optic and medical instruments, machinery, and agricultural products. U.S. imports from Switzerland include pharmaceutical products, optic and medical instruments, clocks and watches, machinery, jewelry and diamonds, and agricultural products. Per capita, Switzerland is among the countries with the most visitors to the United States every year. Switzerland participates in the Visa Waiver Program, which allows nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for certain business or tourism purposes for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.

Switzerland's Membership in International Organizations

Switzerland and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization. Switzerland is also a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Partnership for Peace program and is an observer to the Organization of American States.

U.S.-GUATEMALA RELATIONS

Map From U.S. Department of State
FROM: U.S. STATE DELPARTMENT

The United States established diplomatic relations with Guatemala in 1849 following its independence from Spain and the later dissolution of a federation of Central American states. In 1954, the United States assisted in the overthrow of the Guatemalan government due to concerns about the threat of communism. A new government took power in Guatemala the same year, and the United States established diplomatic relations with it. Beginning in 1960, forces carried out armed insurrection against the Guatemalan government. Peace accords ending the 36-year internal conflict were signed in 1996.

Guatemala continues to face major challenges to successful development, including poverty, malnutrition, and vulnerability to economic fluctuations and natural disasters. The Guatemalan government also faces the challenges of corruption and the presence of transnational organized crime.

U.S. policy objectives in Guatemala include:
Supporting the institutionalization of democracy and implementation of the peace accords;
Encouraging respect for human rights and the rule of law, and the efficient functioning of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, which was inaugurated in 2008;
Supporting broad-based economic growth and sustainable development and maintaining mutually beneficial trade and commercial relations, including ensuring that benefits of the U.S.-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) reach all sectors of the Guatemalan populace;
Cooperating to combat money laundering, corruption, narcotics trafficking, alien-smuggling, and other transnational crime, including through programs funded under the Central American Regional Security Initiative; and
Supporting Central American integration through support for resolution of border/territorial disputes.

U.S. Assistance to Guatemala
U.S. assistance focuses on improving citizen security and justice, increasing levels of economic growth and social development in the Western Highlands, fostering sustainable management of natural resources, and mitigating the effects of global climate change.

Bilateral Economic Relations
The United States is one of Guatemala's largest trading partners. The two countries are parties to the U.S.-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, which aims to facilitate trade and investment and further regional integration by eliminating tariffs, opening markets, reducing barriers to services, and promoting transparency. CAFTA-DR contains a chapter on investment similar to a bilateral investment treaty with the United States. U.S. exports to Guatemala include oil, agricultural products, articles donated for relief and low-value shipments, and machinery. U.S. imports from Guatemala include agricultural products, apparel, gold, and silver.

Guatemala's Membership in International Organizations
Guatemala and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, Organization of American States, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: SPECIAL BRIEFING IN GHANA ON SYRIA

Ghana Map Credit:  U.S. State Department
FROM: U.S. STATE DELPARTMENT
Background Briefing By a Senior State Department Official, Accra, Ghana
Special Briefing
Senior State Department Official
Accra, Ghana
August 10, 2012
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Thanks, [Moderator]. I want to just start by setting the context for this visit. We were last in Istanbul in early June for the Global Counterterrorism Forum, on the margins of which we held a Core Group meeting on Syria with a number of key stakeholders, and then approximately a month later in Paris, a Friends of the Syrian People meeting. Since the Friends of the Syrian People meeting, there have not been any high-level gatherings or ministerial level visits by the Secretary specifically on Syria, but in that timeframe a lot has happened.

You’ve had a series of high-level defections, a major bombing that took the lives of key security officials in the regime. You’ve had the opposition, the Free Syria Army and associated groups, consolidate gains on the ground that stretch from Aleppo up to the Turkish border, and gains elsewhere in the country as well, including showing increased operational effectiveness. And of course, over the past month you’ve had the Syrian economy continue to deteriorate, you’ve had a Security Council resolution vetoed by the Russians and the Chinese, and you’ve had the resignation of Kofi Annan effective at the end of this month, among a range of other things that have unfolded just in the last four weeks.

So after that Security Council resolution was vetoed, we made clear that we were shifting from New York to a focus on supporting the opposition in its efforts to hasten the day that Assad falls and to begin in earnest planning for the day after Assad falls in close coordination with our partners and in support of Syrian groups on the ground, who are going to be charged with, ultimately, building the new Syria and trying to safeguard institutions of the state and deal with all of the challenges that will come once the transition begins.

So that’s the frame within which this visit takes place. The Secretary is eager to have the opportunity to roll up her sleeves and have in-depth, lengthy, detailed conversations with the senior Turkish leadership, with the President, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, and a number of other key officials in the Turkish Government to talk about the three broad pillars of our strategy.

The first is to discuss with the Turks both what it is that we’re doing and how we judge the effectiveness of what we’re doing in terms of supporting the opposition, to hear from them about the latest approaches they’re taking to support the opposition, as well as the picture each of us have of the work that other countries are doing and how our work and the Turks’ work can fit into that broader effort by the international community to coordinate and effectively deliver support for the opposition on the ground inside Turkey.

At the same time – so that goes for the nonlethal assistance that we’re providing. It goes for other forms of support and assistance that are being provided to the Syrian opposition. And it also goes for the work that the Arab League, the Turks, us, and others are doing with the political opposition groups that are trying to come together under an umbrella to have a single common plan, a transition plan and vision for a future Syria that’s pluralistic, democratic, and effectively maintains the institutions of the state. So we’ll also want to talk to the Turks about the July 3rd transition plan that the opposition groups collectively arrived at and the work that is ongoing right now to try to follow up on that and put additional meat on the bones as everybody plans for the day after.

The second --

MODERATOR: Sanctions.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Oh, sorry. Yes, I am reminded that in terms of supporting the opposition, we all have to remember that the overall goal here is to hasten the day that Assad goes. And part of that work is direct support but part of it also is pressure and isolation of the regime. And one of the key forms of pressure is economic sanctions, which in the coming days or very shortly we will be tightening even further with additional sanctions that drive at both Syrian entities and at those who are supporting the efforts of the Syrian Government to oppress its own people. So the sanctions piece and talking to the Turks about how we can most effectively both ramp up and enforce the sanctions on the books will also be a feature of the conversations.

The second area is humanitarian assistance. The humanitarian picture has grown more dire as the fighting has spread. That’s true both inside Turkey and in countries – I’m sorry, inside Syria and in countries bordering Syria, all of them, including Turkey. There are now more than 50,000 refugees that the Turks are supporting, and the need for international support in the form of funding and other types of tools and resources is growing.

So last week, the United States announced $12 million in additional assistance, a portion of which will go to refugees in Turkey or to support refugees in Turkey. And tomorrow, the Secretary will make further announcements both with respect to funding for UNHCR and for the specific Turkish appeal through IOM. And when the President and Prime Minister Erdogan talked on July 30th, one of the issues they discussed was how the international community can effectively support a growing burden on Turkey as it continues to be very generous in providing for refugees that come across its border. And they’re coming across every day in significant numbers.

MODERATOR: (Inaudible) more than a 1,000 a day –

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: The third area is transition planning and day after planning. The Secretary was very clear that we don’t want to put a date on Assad’s departure, because we can’t. We don’t know when that day will come, but it is our strong conviction that it will come and that the international community needs to be prepared to support the Syrians themselves as they deal with all of the challenges that will come with actually effectuating a transition to a new Syria.

There are political challenges in terms of organizing the state and protecting its institutions. There are economic challenges, both in terms of short-term stabilization and in terms of rebuilding a deteriorating Syrian economy. There are security challenges that may require international and multilateral assistance of various kinds. There are challenges related to securing, of course, weapons inside Syria to ensure they don’t fall into the wrong hands. And there are humanitarian challenges related to the need to provide basic subsistence to displaced Syrians both inside and outside Syria.

So all of that work has to be conducted at the earliest possible point, which is why we’ve been working on it for some time now and why we want to intensify our collaboration with the Turks and with other key stakeholders.

So all of this will be on the agenda, and in a specific way when the Secretary sits down with her counterparts and with the Turkish leadership. And the goal here is to try, as much as possible, to be able to arrive at a common operational picture, to gain a better understanding of the effectiveness of what we’re doing now and what more can be done, and then to take it from there and to coordinate effectively with the other key partners in the international community. And in that regard, the Secretary will be having conversations next week by telephone with key partners in Europe and elsewhere, and planning for another Friends of Syria gathering at some point in the coming weeks.

Also while she’s in Turkey, the Secretary will meet with activists, opposition activists, some of whom are just very recently arrived from Syria and have firsthand experience with what is going on on the ground in Aleppo and elsewhere. And she will talk to them about what their assessment is of where things are, where they’re headed, and what kinds of support they need from the United States and the international community. She’ll also have an opportunity to engage with the humanitarian and refugee issue in meetings as well.

So that’s a broad overview of where we’re headed, and I’ll take a few questions before we all have to go down to the van so we don’t miss our flight (inaudible).

MODERATOR: Anne.

QUESTION: On the activists, has she met any of these figures before? And can you characterize them anymore particularly than activists?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: She hasn’t met any of them before. They represent a cross-section of people from inside Syria and some now based outside Syria who are helping coordinate efforts to address the specific needs of the opposition. So you have students who are organizing student protests and student political opposition to the regime. You’ve got women who are working as part of a collection of women’s groups in Syria specifically addressing the needs of women who are part of the opposition. You’ve got those who are involved in communications, from Skype to Facebook to other web-based tools to try to get messages out and coordinate the public strategic communications dimension of the opposition.

So it is folks with a very hands-on set of experiences related to both resisting the Syrian regime and trying to organize and coordinate and effectively marshal various elements of those who are in the opposition or associated with the opposition on the ground in Syria.
QUESTION: And at this point, who’s doing the accountability – legal work on the ground in Syria?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: (Inaudible.)

QUESTION: No actual rebel figures?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: No. When you say rebel figures, meaning armed --

QUESTION: Fighters. Armed fighters.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Armed fighters.

QUESTION: Armed fighters (inaudible).

QUESTION: Can I wait?

MODERATOR: Andy.

QUESTION: I just have a quick one. On the announcements of further sanctions regarding both Syrian entities and those who are supporting the efforts of the Syrian Government, is this going to represent sort of a broadening of efforts to get at Iranians groups or others who may be involved here?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I think that’s pointed in the right direction. I’d prefer not to preempt the announcements, although [Moderator] will work, I think, over the course of today to see what’s possible in terms of getting you additional information.

QUESTION: Is it today? It will happen today in D.C.

MODERATOR: We’ll talk a little bit more about this in a minute.

QUESTION: Okay.

QUESTION: Does any of this discussion with the Turks or with the activists speak to any additional steps intervention or involvement, non-humanitarian, and kind of talking support that you’ve already offered?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, for starters, we’ve already gone beyond humanitarian by providing specific, tangible types of assistance that can help the opposition on the ground – communications equipment, medical assistance of different kinds. So – but I take your question to be moving beyond where we are now.

QUESTION: Right. Yeah, right.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: One of the key things that the Secretary wants to achieve when she arrives in Turkey is to compare notes with the Turks so that she can sharpen her own operational picture of what’s happening on the ground. It’s a very fluid situation. The groups that are participating are themselves quite fluid. And what she would like to do over the course of the day is gain a clearer picture of the effectiveness of what we’re currently providing and how it can be made more effective, and then whether or not there are additional things that we can do to be helpful to the opposition that will add value rather than cause harm.

And over the course of her conversations and in trying to arrive at conclusions on that, she will shape her advice to the President and to her colleagues back in Washington about any further types of support or assistance that the United States might be prepared to provide.

QUESTION: Does that mean you do or do not rule out lethal assistance (inaudible)?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, I think you heard this week from both Susan Rice and John Brennan that we’re never in the business of categorically ruling things in or out. I think her focus will be on the effectiveness of what we’re doing, how we can make it more effective. But she certainly will be looking to see whether there’s anything else that we can do that will have a positive impact as opposed to a detrimental impact on the overall situation in Syria.

MODERATOR: Let’s do Matt and then (inaudible).

QUESTION: Do we have anything else? I know that you’re not going to – the questions that I would ask, you’re not going to be able to answer. So –

MODERATOR: Nicolas.

QUESTION: Just to make clear the first pillar of your strategy, we are still taking about nonlethal assistance?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: That’s what she’ll be focused on today.

MODERATOR: Okay. Thanks, everybody.