Golding, Patterson buck the US

• Cables claim PMs ignored Americans' requests for Jamaica to follow lead on Iran

Jamaican governments led by P.J. Patterson and Bruce Golding stood up to the mighty United States (US) and refused to fall in line with its position on Iran.

Patterson earned the wrath of the United States over his Government's 2005 refusal to publicly reject comments made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while Golding left the US peeved after his administration rejected a request from the Americans to vote 'yes' on a resolution condemning Iran over its human-rights record.

According to a diplomatic cable from the US Embassy in Kingston, an American diplomat contacted the director of Jamaica's Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Bilateral Affairs Department on November 4, 2005 to ask whether "the GOJ (Government of Jamaica) had publicly rejected what the Americans described as recent disturbing comments from the Iranian president.

obvious displeasure

The cable said the foreign affairs official stated that the Government of Jamaica shared the sentiment behind the United Nations Security Council's expressed condemnation of the remarks, adding that he was unaware of any public statement on the matter by any Jamaican official.

In a clear show of their displeasure with the Patterson administration, the US Embassy claimed Jamaica's position should have been expected.

"The lack of any public GOJ expression of condemnation of the Iranian remarks is hardly surprising, particularly in view of Prime Minister P.J. Patterson's reluctance to antagonise publicly those states or leaders that tend to be sympathetic to Patterson's G-77 stewardship," the cable said.

The cable also reported that embassy officials in Kingston suggested that Jamaica's position be noted for future action.

"The Department may wish to keep this tendency in mind the next time Patterson or another senior GOJ official rushes to express 'principled opposition' to a US statement or deed, as they are rarely shy about doing in response to USG (US Government) actions with which they disagree," the cable said.

The Golding administration was the subject of a December 2009 diplomatic cable from the US Embassy in Kingston to Washington which underscored the Jamaican Government's position on Iran.

According to the cable, the chargé d'affaires delivered a request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urging the Government of Jamaica to vote 'yes' on an upcoming Iran human-rights resolution in the UN General Assembly.

"Despite the CDA's (chargé d'affaires) urging that the GOJ reconsider its Third Committee abstention on the resolution and vote 'yes' in the plenary session, a (Ministry of Foreign Affairs official) confirmed that the GOJ would abstain on the Iran resolution in the UN General Assembly vote," the cable said.

"(The Foreign Affairs official) stated that the GOJ would monitor closely Iran's continuing human-rights record and note any deterioration when considering future votes on this matter," added the cable.

The embassy also told Washington that it would report any further response from the Government of Jamaica.