FM LEWIS ON UNSC, CORRUPTION, FTA, REGIONAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 002207 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ETRD KCOR PM SUBJECT: FM LEWIS ON UNSC, CORRUPTION, FTA, REGIONAL POLITICS R... C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 002207 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ETRD KCOR PM SUBJECT: FM LEWIS ON UNSC, CORRUPTION, FTA, REGIONAL POLITICS REF: STATE 182267 Classified By: AMBASSADOR WILLIAM EATON FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). SUMMARY ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ¶1. (C) Panama will be a voice for all of Latin America on the UN Security Council and is willing to help the USG spread its message, Vice President and Foreign Minister Samuel Lewis Navarro told the Ambassador November 8. He also addressed corruption, saying the court system is the crux of Panama's corruption problem and the GOP plans to increase the size of the Supreme Court in an attempt to change the balance of power within the court and battle increasing public perceptions of corruption. Lewis also voiced his concerns about the negative impact of Daniel Ortega's presidential election in Nicaragua on that country's democratic institutions. He also discussed a range of issues including the planned Panamanian Coast Guard and the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States. The Ambassador delivered reftel talking points on UN country‐specific human rights resolutions. Lewis agreed to pass the USG message to the Panamanian UN delegation. END SUMMARY. PANAMA AS UNSC MEMBER ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ¶2. (SBU) Panama will take an active role in representing Latin America on the UN Security Council, said Lewis. He added that he plans to travel extensively throughout the region to make sure Panama represents the GRULAC members' opinions and concerns. "It is important for us to know what the U.S. position is as well, so that we can help carry the water for you," said Lewis. He said that the GOP will invite the new UN Secretary General to Panama in June 2007 when Panama hosts the OAS General Assembly. He hoped that Secretary Rice could attend as well "to send a signal to the SIPDIS region" of the importance the United States places on hemispheric relations. ¶3. (SBU) Lewis also said that Torrijos traveled to Guatemala on November 8 to thank them for their support of Panama's candidacy. Lewis is working with Venezuelan authorities to schedule a similarly brief trip to Venezuela. The timing of the Venezuela trip is sensitive, he said, since Panama wishes to avoid internal Venezuelan electoral politics; Torrijos's visit to Venezuela will be strictly to thank them for their support. THREE MORE SUPREME COURT JUSTICES? ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ¶4. (C) Lewis brought up the corruption issue on his own, noting a recent Transparency International survey that indicated the public believes corruption in Panama was not only high but getting worse. The GOP's tack, Lewis said, was to reduce the perception problem while improving transparency in government. The bottom line, he said, was that the court system was the "rotten center" of Panama's corruption problem. ¶5. (C) Lewis revealed that the GOP's close‐hold plan was to add three new slots to the current nine‐member Supreme Court. "If President Torrijos appoints three respected jurists, that would change the balance of power on the Court," said Lewis. He agreed with the Ambassador's observation that such a move could be seen as the GOP stacking the Court in favor of the PRD (Revolutionary Democratic Party),and said the GOP would have to roll out the change very carefully. Lewis said the GOP's justification of the move would be the current high backlog of Supreme Court cases. The public would understand if the GOP could frame the move as a way to reduce backlog, explained Lewis. The Ambassador noted that an even stronger move to reform the Court would be if notoriously corrupt justices would resign and/or face prosecution. Lewis agreed but stated that this would never happen. ¶6. (C) In a related court issue, Lewis said that former Presidents Perez Balladares and Mireya Moscoso were conspiring to ensure that the Electoral Tribunal delegate appointed by the court system would be loyal to them. This is a big concern to the GOP, said Lewis, and Torrijos is trying hard to prevent this move. (Comment: Emboffs have also heard this reported by others. The person rumored to be Perez Balladares and Moscoso's choice is Gerardo Solis, currently an electoral prosecutor (fiscal). End Comment.) "PANAMA IS NOT NICARAGUA" ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ¶7. (C) Panama is concerned about Nicaragua's future following the election of Daniel Ortega. "It is almost a given that Ortega will try to subvert all democratic institutions in the country to bring them under Sandinista control," said Lewis. He agreed with the Ambassador's suggestion that Panama can help encourage Nicaragua to maintain its free market and democratic orientation and said that Panama will watch the situation in Nicaragua closely. (Comment: Given the PRD's past ties with the Sandinistas, it is interesting to see Lewis distancing the GOP from the Sandinista government. End Comment.) ¶8. (SBU) Lewis was also concerned that the Nicaraguan election would have negative consequences for Panama. In particular, he feared that some people in the United States may equate Panama with Nicaragua and that Panama "would be tarred with the same brush." He emphasized to the Ambassador that it was important for Panama that the USG see Panama in a different light from Nicaragua. "Panama is a friend of the United States and welcomes foreign investors," he said. COAST GUARD AND FTA ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ¶9. (C) Lewis emphasized that the plan to form a Panamanian Coast Guard was still going forward. The Ambassador expressed two concerns: 1) that incoming Enduring Friendship funds and equipment supplement rather than substitute for Panama's own investment in its maritime and air services, and 2) that USG support for the Coast Guard be seen as an investment in the institution, not individuals. Lewis answered simply, "message received." (Comment: The Ambassador's subtle message, clearly understood by Lewis, was that we continue to have concerns regarding potential illegal activity by National Maritime Service Director Traad. End Comment.) ¶10. (SBU) Lewis reiterated Panama's support for the FTA as a key anchor for a strong Panamanian economy, job creation, and increased transparency. Panama is trying to figure out what impact the U.S. midterm elections will have on FTA progress. He thought the new U.S. political environment may be less favorable to free trade, but thought with Panama's trade deficit with the United States the FTA could be seen as a market or investment opportunity for the United States. GOP CONCERN WITH PUBLISHER ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ¶11. (C) Lewis stated that Torrijos is increasingly concerned about Abdul Waked, owner of the dailies La Estrella and El Siglo. (Note: Since Waked's El Siglo group bought La Estrella, both papers have been showing surprising independence, which might be a matter of GOP concern. End Note.) Waked is allegedly bribing National Assembly members and Supreme Court justices to get the duty‐free concession at Tocumen Airport and other commercial favors, said Lewis. Torrijos doesn't understand "why Waked had regular contact with the Embassy when the USG pulled his visa," he said. The Ambassador said the Embassy was interested in maintaining contact with the press as well as the Muslim community in Panama. (Comment: It is unclear whether Torrijos's "concern" is rooted more in an attempt to muzzle the anti‐GOP editorials in Waked's papers, or if there is a legitimate concern. Coincidentally, former Vice Minister of Commerce Romel Adames told Econ Chief separately on November 2 that the GOP pressured the daily La Prensa about two months ago to drop his regular economic columns, allegedly because he was critical of the Torrijos administration's economic policies. He since began writing for La Estrella. End Comment.) POLITICAL AMBITIONS ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ¶12. (C) Lewis said Panama's UNSC seat "threw a monkey wrench" into his own plans to begin "campaigning" aggressively in the countryside in the run‐up to the 2009 presidential elections. He had planned to spend more time in the interior of Panama to raise his profile among Panamanians, but, because of Panama's UNSC seat, will now have to focus on more regional travel and other duties. Lewis refuted the rumor, however, that he would step down as Foreign Minister. He said he hoped to get involved with Panama's national development plan as a way to leverage his political profile among the country's poor population. Balancing his Foreign Minister duties and his political ambitions will require a lot of time management, said Lewis. COMMENT ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ¶13. (C) The GOP's plan to add more Supreme Court justices seems to be a superficial remedy that does not address the core of the problem: that Panama cannot rid itself of the corrupt justices already on the Court. Judicial reform is clearly a key component of improving transparency in Panama, but the GOP's plan merely sidesteps the real issue. Furthermore, with widespread rumors of corruption within all sectors of the GOP, it is unclear how much traction any of the GOP's anti‐corruption measures can get. ¶14. (C) It is a hopeful sign that Panama offered to be a voice for the United States in its UNSC role. But given Panama's desire to be friends with everyone, it remains to be seen whether Panama can indeed make the tough decisions when the time comes to choose sides. END COMMENT. EATON