PANAMA TO OUTLINE INITIATIVES AND GOALS TO STEM

S E C R E T PANAMA 000663 SIPDIS NOFORN DEPARTMENT FOR NP/RA AND EAP/K E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2014 TAGS: KNNP PARM PREL PM LABOR HUMAN RIGHTSPOLMIL SUBJECT: PANAMA TO OUTLINE INITIATIVES AND GOALS TO STEM TRANSITING COMMODITIES OF CONCERN REF: STATE 46592 Classified By: DCM Christopher J. McMullen for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) (S/NF) On March 12, PolOff delivered ref talking points to GOP Public Security and National Defense Council (Consejo) Executive Secretary Ramiro Jarvis. On March 19, Jarvis delivered GOP reply resulting from its full Consejo meeting on March 15, chaired by Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso. The GOP concurs with our concern surrounding North Korea's purchase of commodities that can be used or modified for use in North Korea's nuclear program. The GOP accepts its role for stopping the transit of such commodities; Panama does not produce those commodities. Jarvis reported Moscoso's approval of a review of Panamanian Law to determine the parameters of the GOP's authority over transshipments, and noted Panama's general cooperation with and work on the Transshipment Export Controls Initiative (TECI) and other security-related initiatives, e.g., Export Control and Related Border Security Assistance (EX-BIS) Program, Container Security Initiative (CSI) and Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI),as applicable in this specific case. Jarvis agreed to present in April a GOP report to Embassy on its initiatives and short-/long-term goals that Panama believes will allow it to take action on ref commodities of concern destined for North Korea. WATT