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

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)



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Summary

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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.





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Location, Time, and Participants

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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:

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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.

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Admiral James Stavridis

Ambassador William Eaton

USSOUTHCOM POLAD Lewis Amselem

ODC Commander CDR Glenn Olarte

POLCHIEF Brian Naranjo



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Advancing the U.S.-Panamanian Security Relationship

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3. (C) President 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.



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Nicaragua, Cuba, Ecuador, Colombia

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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.





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Visit to Washington

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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.



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Supporting the FTA

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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