The American Embassy in Kingston has defended the role of the American Government in helping to provide aspects of security for Cricket World Cup 2007. In a letter to The Gleaner yesterday, James T. Heg, charge d'affaires, also denied that the U.S. had anything to do with the institution of a CARICOM visa.

Mr. Heg's letter stated:

I am writing in response to Ms. Dawn Ritch's column 'Caribbean Confusion, U.S. perfidy' that appeared in The Sunday Gleaner on April 1, 2007. Ms. Ritch's column contained some errors that I would like to clear up.

Issues of concern

First, the U.S. Government has a duty to inform and update U.S. citizens on issues of concern for the modern traveller, including personal security. In January 2007, the U.S. Department of State posted the 'Cricket World Cup Fact Sheet' on its travel website at http://travel.state.gov. It is not a travel warning, but an information sheet that American travellers can use to help prepare for their trip. While it does state that "Any large scale public event like the Cricket World Cup could be the focus of terrorist acts or other forms of violence", it does not state that the ICC Cricket World Cup is a "target for terrorists". Additionally, the fact sheet clearly states that there have been "no specific, credible terrorist threats to the Cricket World Cup". The same wording was used in the fact sheet for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, which did not cause sports fans to be "turned off" from attending the Olympic Games.

Second, the U.S. Government formed part of a collaborative group of nations considering various aspects of security for the Cricket World Cup. We provided over 80 training sessions to regional and Jamaican law enforcement. SOUTHCOM specifically chose Jamaica as an optimal location to hold our joint "Tradewinds" exercise last year, which focused entirely on crisis management.

Advanced training

In coordination with CARICOM and other international partners, our Department of Defense has not only provided advanced training, it remains vigilant should an event require immediate crisis response. Additionally, we provided a multimillion-dollar advance passenger information system for use at the airports and have committed to maintain this system as a lasting contribution to regional security. This system has proven successful and will contribute to Jamaican security for many years to come.

While we worked with Jamaica and other Caribbean countries to help improve their security, the U.S. had nothing to do with the institution of the CARICOM visa, contrary to Ms. Ritch's allegation.