PANAMA: MESSAGE REINFORCING MESSAGE ON IRAN TO

O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 000604 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2018 TAGS: PARM TRGY IR PM SUBJECT: PANAMA: MESSAGE REINFORCING MESSAGE ON IRAN TO SELECT NAM MEMBER STATES DELIVERED REF: STATE 79505 Classified By: POLCOUNS Brian R. Naranjo. Reason: 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) First VP and FM Samuel Lewis said he fully understood the U.S. message on Iranin advance of the Non-Aligned Movement Foreign Ministers' meeting in Teheran, in response to Charge's delivery of reftel demarche on July 23. "Panama is not sending a high-level delegation," Lewis added, but would be represented at this ministerial by its commercial representative in Beijing. (Note: Panama has diplomatic relations with Taiwan, not China; it's highest representative in Beijing is its commercal representative.) Furthermore, he was fully aware of the back and forth on the ministerial statement and Iran's proposed resolution on its nuclear program. Lewis did not commit to undertake any significant diplomatic effort to press for the substance of reftel demarche to be reflected in the NAM. 2, (C) COMMENT: By focusing in his response to the demarche on the low-level of Panama's delegation, Lewis' message was two-fold: Panama wishes to distant itself from the NAM FMs' Teheran conference, and Panama will not have the political weight in Teheran to press for changes on this ministerial meeting's texts. MESA