Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07PANAMA85
2007-01-19 20:32:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Panama
Cable title:  

PANAMA: SOUTHCOM COMMANDER MEETS WITH PRESIDENT TORRIJOS; 9:00 A.M., JANUARY 19; PALACIO DE LAS GARZAS, PANAMA CITY

Tags:  PREL MARR MASS MOPS SNAR PBTS ECON PN 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHZP #0085/01 0192032
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 192032Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY PANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9653
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 2489
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1095
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 0929
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 000085 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CEN (E. TELLO)
SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD (L. AMSELEM)
NSC FOR FISK, CARDENAS AND LUTI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2017
TAGS: PREL, MARR, MASS, MOPS, SNAR, PBTS, ECON, PN
SUBJECT: PANAMA: SOUTHCOM COMMANDER MEETS WITH PRESIDENT
TORRIJOS; 9:00 A.M., JANUARY 19; PALACIO DE LAS GARZAS,
PANAMA CITY

Classified By: AMBASSADOR WILLIAM A. EATON. REASONS: 1.4 (A),(B)
AND (D)

-------
Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 000085

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CEN (E. TELLO)
SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD (L. AMSELEM)
NSC FOR FISK, CARDENAS AND LUTI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2017
TAGS: PREL, MARR, MASS, MOPS, SNAR, PBTS, ECON, PN
SUBJECT: PANAMA: SOUTHCOM COMMANDER MEETS WITH PRESIDENT
TORRIJOS; 9:00 A.M., JANUARY 19; PALACIO DE LAS GARZAS,
PANAMA CITY

Classified By: AMBASSADOR WILLIAM A. EATON. REASONS: 1.4 (A),(B)
AND (D)

--------------
Summary
--------------

1. (C) Panamanian President Torrijos and SOUTHCOM Commander
Admiral Stavridis both underscored the positive and warm
relationship between the U.S. and Panama, during their
January 19 meeting. Torrijos noted that he wished to continue
the close security relationship that the U.S. and Panama
enjoyed, particularly in the fight against illicit narcotics.
President Torrijos requested SOUTHCOM assistance in a number
of areas, including: coastal surveillance, disaster
assistance, infrastructure projects, and enhancing border
unit capabilities. ADM Stavridis congratulated Panama on its
election to the UN Security Council, and the Admiral and the
President exchanged views on Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela, and
Ecuador. President Torrijos noted that he would visit
Washington February 26-28 during which time he would meet
with SECDEF Gates and hoped to meet with President Bush.
First VP and FM Samuel Lewis urged ADM Stavridis to support
efforts to secure U.S. Congressional approval for the
recently concluded U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement.
End Summary.


--------------
Location, Time, and Participants
--------------

2. (U) President Torrijos hosted this meeting at the Palacio
de la Garzas. This meeting began at 9:00 a.m. and lasted 45
minutes. The participants included:

Panama:
--------------
President Martin Torrijos
First VP and FM Samuel Lewis
Minister of Government and Justice Olga Golcher
Personal Assistant to the 1st VP and FM Guido Fuentes

U.S.
--------------
Admiral James Stavridis
Ambassador William Eaton
USSOUTHCOM POLAD Lewis Amselem
ODC Commander CDR Glenn Olarte
POLCHIEF Brian Naranjo

-------------- --------------
Advancing the U.S.-Panamanian Security Relationship
-------------- --------------

3. (C) Pres
ident Torrijos and ADM Stavridis both stressed
the warm and close relationship between the U.S. and Panama
and the desire to enhance further U.S.-Panamanian security
cooperation. Regarding the PANAMAX exercise to be held in
September, ADM Stavridis noted that First VP and FM Samuel
Lewis, Minister of Government and Justice Golcher and he had
discussed briefly Panama's proposal to develop an interagency
exercise to grapple with the challenges of asymmetric threats
(e.g., terrorism, narcoterrorism) that would integrate
military and civilian security and intelligence efforts.
President Torrijos and ADM Stavridis agreed that Panama
remained a nexus for international narcotics trafficking,
particularly via air. President Torrijos said that Panama
needed greater capacity to surveil its coast. Panama had
been working hard to identify the linkages between
international narcotics traffickers and local criminal
organizations, President Torrijos said, and recently Panama
had successfully locked up the leaders of significant
Panamanian criminal organizations. Pursuing aggressive
anti-money laundering efforts, President Torrijos said Panama
had had good success in acting early against criminal
organizations before they could fully establish themselves.
Through ENDURING FRIENDSHIP, ADM Stavridis noted that soon


the USG would provide Panama 8 million USD in small boats and
command, control and communications equipment to enhance
Panama's ability to patrol its coastal areas.

4. (C) President Torrijos thanks ADM Stavridis for the
helicopter lift that SOUTHCOM provided to help Panama deal
with recent flooding in Panama. Requesting USG assistance in
securing equipment, President Torrijos said, "I need to build
up the capability of my National Maritime Service (SMN) and
my National Air Service (SAN). If I can't support people in
remote regions of Panama, I can't rely on them to provide me
support in counternarcotics efforts." Enhanced SMN and SAN
capabilities would enable the GOP to move food, assistance,
teachers, and equipment in and out of remote areas.
President Torrijos welcomed efforts to bring helicopter
support into Panama to give GOP officials and media better
access to the upcoming NEW HORIZONS exercises and thereby
demonstrate the positive effects of U.S.-Panamanian
cooperation, but noted that NEW HORIZONS was only held every
two years. "We need to do this kind of thing with more
frequency," President Torrijos said. Noting the need for
more roads, medical clinics and schools, President Torrijos
called for "a more permanent engineering presence" in Panama,
a presence that might be able to establish a "bank of
projects that would be ready to be taken off the shelf" when
funding was available. Military engineers could work in
partnership with civilian engineers, including from the
private sector.

6. (C) Panama needs more border units with more mobility and
greater communications capability. Presently, these border
forces lacked aerial support and night operations capability.
"If we could get more capability to work together in these
areas, it would be very helpful."

7. (C) President Torrijos also requested assistance building
Panama's capability to respond to natural disasters. Panama
lacked trucks, for example, and was interested in acquiring
USG surplus trucks. Also, President Torrijos suggested that
the U.S. and Panama might coordinate to utilize U.S.
helicopter lift capability several times per year to support
Panamanian efforts to deliver material and equipment to build
schools and medical clinics in hard to reach areas. First VP
and FM Lewis suggested that such efforts would not need to be
extensively planned and would provide an excellent public
relations opportunity.

--------------
Nicaragua, Cuba, Ecuador, Colombia
--------------

8. (C) Nicaragua: President Torrijos said that Nicaragua
President Ortega knew that things had changed. For the time
being, Torrijos said, "We need to give him some room to
maneuver politically." Ortega had said many things during
the tough campaign, staking out many hard positions, but now
that he was President he would need political space to
govern. President Torrijos noted that Ortega had an
exaggerated view of what Venezuela could do for Nicaragua,
ultimately, "Nicaragua would probably get more assistance
from the Millennium Challenge Account than he would ever get
from Venezuela."

9. (C) Cuba: "The transition in Cuba is already underway,"
President Torrijos said. A new younger generation of Cuban
leaders was already handling most important issues and
understood that things needed to change in Cuba. That change
needed to come from inside Cuba, Torrijos said. Fidel was a
unique figure whose charisma was not transferable. This
change would soon start moving, President Torrijos said, and
it would be best for everybody that this change be orderly.
Noting that this was Fidel's year to move on, ADM Stavridis
said that the U.S. hoped for a peaceful transition to
democracy and cautioned that Raul at the head of the military
was a skilled manager capable of maintaining control and
sustaining Cuba's repressive regime. President Torrijos said
that as Cubans considered a future without Fidel, the Cuban
people were being brought together.



10. (C) Venezuela: Noting Chavez had a lot of support,
President Torrijos said he could not read where Chavez was
going. The extensive legislative authority that Chavez was
seeking was troubling. President Torrijos also noted that
many upper class Venezuelans and businesses were moving to
Panama.

11. (C) Ecuador: President Torrijos also said he wondered
where Correa was going too. "Correa is well-intentioned," he
said. Deciding to start off with major political reforms
would take a lot of work and political energy, President
Torrijos said, but could be an opportunity for Correa to
garner popular support.

12. (C) Colombia: "Things look better in Colombia, but I
would hope to get more information about where Colombia moves
its troops in its border area near Panama," President
Torrijos said. Advance notice of Colombia's troop movements
would enable Panama to get its own forces into place as well.


--------------
Visit to Washington
--------------

13. (C) President Torrijos said he would visit Washington
February 26-28 and would travel to Texas A and M University
on February 28 to receive an award. The President said he
would meet with SECDEF Gates and was seeking an appointment
with President Bush.

--------------
Supporting the FTA
--------------

14. (C) First VP and FM Lewis urged ADM Stavridis to
underscore the importance of getting the U.S.-Panama Trade
Promotion Agreement through the U.S. Congress. By promoting
greater prosperity and economic well-being in Panama, this
agreement would advance important U.S. interests in
sustaining its strategic relationship with Panama and
protecting the Panama Canal.

15. (U) ADM Stavridis has not reviewed and cleared this
message.
Eaton