PANAMA: GOP "INSISTS" ON REVERTING TO "OLD

C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 000172 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CEN (TELLO),L/PM (HERROLD) PM/SNA (DETEMPLE),AND PM (LOFTIS) DEFENSE FOR ISA/WHA NSC FOR FISK AND CARDENAS SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD (AMSELEM) E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2017 TAGS: KTIA MASS AA MOPS PREL PGOV PM US SUBJECT: PANAMA: GOP "INSISTS" ON REVERTING TO "OLD DIPLOMATIC NOTE" TO SECURE SOFA PRIVILEGES REF: (A) 06 STATE 202659 (B) PANAMA 55 (C) PANAMA 72 ¶1. (U) This is an action request. See para 4. -------------- GOP "INSISTS" ON OLD NOTE -------------- ¶2. (C) The Panamanian MFA has not completed its legal analysis of the new U.S. diplomatic note language requesting status of forces protections (REFTEL A) and does not anticipate being able to present its counterproposal for several days, MFA DG for Legal Matters and Treaties Iana Quadri told POLCHIEF on February 2. Under instructions, Quadri said that, in the interest of to avoiding canceling the upcoming NEW HORIZONS exercise, the GOP "insists" on reverting to the "old diplomatic note" to enable this exercise to take place as planned. She stated that the MFA would continue its analysis of the new diplomatic note language, with a special emphasis on dealing with the contractor issue, and underscored that the GOP was committed to presenting the USG a counterproposal. Quadri said that the GOP wished to revert to the old diplomatic note language solely for the upcoming NEW HORIZONS exercise. ¶3. (C) Preparations are already underway for NEW HORIZONS, scheduled to begin in earnest on/about February 12. NEW HORIZONS is scheduled to begin only a couple of days before Panamanian President Torrijos meets with SECDEF and POTUS on February 16 in Washington. Additionally, in support of post's Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) office and Tactical Analysis Team (TAT),JTF-B is scheduled to deploy helicopter assets to Panama on February 21 as part of operation ALL INCLUSIVE, a multi-lateral counternarcotics interdiction operation. ALL INCLUSIVE will involve ground, sea, and air forces from the U.S., Panama, and other countries. -------------- ACTION REQUEST -------------- ¶4. (C) Post requests authorization to revert to the previously used diplomatic note language used to secure status of forces privileges for U.S. forces that will participate in NEW HORIZONS. Eaton