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### Viewing cable 05PANAMA2369, PANAMANIAN PRESIDENT TORRIJOS ON THE HUSTINGS WITH

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
05PANAMA2369 | 2005-12-07 15:58 | 2011-05-28 00:00 | SECRET | Embassy Panama

`

    This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

` `

    ..S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 PANAMA 002369

    SIPDIS

    DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN, WHA/CCA, WHA/AND
    SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/07/2015
    TAGS: PREL PGOV ETRD PM POL CHIEF
    SUBJECT: PANAMANIAN PRESIDENT TORRIJOS ON THE HUSTINGS WITH
    AMBASSADOR EATON

    Classified By: Ambassador William A. Eaton for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

    SUMMARY
    -------
    ¶1.  (S) President Torrijos invited Ambassador Eaton to
    accompany him on a November 25 helicopter visit to Cocle
    Province for a series of civic, cultural and political
    events.  With each mile separating him from Panama City,
    Torrijos relaxed and transformed into a gregarious
    politician, enthusiastically greeting people along the way,
    giving several stem-winding speeches, and clearly connecting
    with his audiences.  During private conversations throughout
    the trip, the Ambassador raised Torrijos's November 30 trip
    to Cuba, agricultural trade issues, the revocation of Supreme
    Court Justice
    Winston Spadafora's visa, the USG's apparently thwarted
    ambition to provide cell phone intercept technology to an
    anti-drug unit of the Judicial Technical Police (PTJ), the
    Costa Rican border, the Free Trade Agreement, President
    Bush's visit to Panama, and Panama's upcoming chairmanship
    of SICA (Central American Security Integration).  End Summary.

    Trip To Cocle Province
    ----------------------
    ¶2.  (U) President Torrijos invited Ambassador Eaton to
    accompany him (along with the Ministers of Health and
    Public Works) on a Friday, November 25 helicopter trip to
    the Cocle province towns of Aguadulce and Ola.

    Torrijos Trip To Cuba
    ---------------------
    ¶3.  (S) Torrijos told Ambassador of his plans for a
    November 30 trip to Cuba to accompany 78 Panamanians, with
    airfare paid by Venezuela, to receive free cataract surgery
    from Cuban physicians.  Torrijos claimed that the visit
    partly is an attempt to show Chavez that he has an
    "independent" channel of communication to Cuba.  (COMMENT:
    Some of what Torrijos had to say was eyewash that
    was mostly for our consumption.  On Cuba, Torrijos's
    comment that he's trying to maintain "Chavez-free" access
    to Castro is a stretch.  Castro himself will decide how
    warm relations will become.  As always, we are a bit
    puzzled by the obeisance that the GOP feels compelled
    to show to Cuba or why Torrijos should feel
    compelled to return to Cuba at the head of a non-official
    delegation so soon after his August 2005 trip to
    reestablish diplomatic relations.  There are most likely
    several reasons.  First of all, Torrijos faces no political
    down-side domestically.  By going, he is associating
    himself with a Cuban program that benefits poor
    Panamanians.  Also, his trip pleases the pro-Cuban faction
    within the PRD, also at little cost.  His comment about
    maintaining lines of communication without Chavez is silly.
    Torrijos was not concerned about Chavez when he actually
    was an issue some months back, when the Embassy warned him
    that Chavez would try to intrude (and did intrude) when
    the GOP traveled to Havana to re-establish diplomatic
    relations in August.  END COMMENT)

    Agriculture Issues
    ------------------
    ¶4.  (S) Torrijos said he plans to remove phyto-sanitary
    controls out of the Ministry of Agriculture, which he
    acknowledged is controlled by cattle ranchers.  Those
    issues, he said, need to be handled independently,
    transparently and impartially.  (COMMENT:  This was
    apparently an attempt by Torrijos to assuage US concerns
    about protracted delays in issuance of U.S. beef import
    permits.  END COMMENT)  The reorganization plans will be
    made public in January.

    Spadafora Visa
    --------------
    ¶5.  (S) Ambassador informed Torrijos that the Embassy was
    moving ahead with the revocation of Supreme Court Justice
    Winston Spadafora's U.S. visa and would inform Spadafora on
    November 30.  Torrijos asked Ambassador not to announce the
    revocation, claiming that he is working with newly named
    Supreme Court Chief Justice Graciela Dixon, to pressure
    change and possibly resignations.  Dixon would be a good
    partner in cleaning up the Court, Torrijos said, but he
    feared a visa revocation would make his negotiations with
    Dixon "more difficult."  Ambassador told Torrijos (to his
    evident disappointment) that Spadafora's visa had already
    been revoked but that the Embassy did not plan to make a
    public statement other than to confirm the revocation, if
    asked.  Ambassador told Torrijos that Spadafora lost
    his visa because his corrupt practices and activities as
    Supreme Court Justice were undermining democratic and
    judicial institutions in Panama.  (COMMENT:  Embassy
    confirmed the revocation of Spadafora's visa on November
    30, as rumors blanketed the city.  We are skeptical about
    Torrijos's suggestions that he and Graciela Dixon are going
    to clean up the Court.  However, seeing is believing.
    We may assume that Torrijos has his own reasons for wishing
    that the revocation never happened or that news
    never got out, but we doubt that those reasons are the ones
    he gave.  END COMMENT)

    DEA's Listening Devices Thwarted
    --------------------------------
    ¶6.  (S) Torrijos said that he is determined to keep
    proffered cell phone listening devices, to be supplied by
    DEA, out of the hands of the Judicial Technical Police
    (PTJ), which, he said, had spied on him when he was a
    candidate for president.  Torrijos said he wanted the
    Consejo Nacional de Seguridad (the "Consejo") to manage
    the project from the Presidency (i.e., close to him).
    Ambassador explained that giving such technology to the
    Consejo would be problematic, since U.S. laws required
    that it be handled through judicial/law enforcement
    (i.e., Attorney General) channels.  Torrijos bristled,
    and indicated that he would buy the necessary equipment
    himself if the U.S. couldn,t provide it.  He said he
    is preparing legislation to permit the use of telephone
    intercepts under carefully controlled circumstances to
    prevent its use for "political" or "extra-legal" purposes.
    Ambassador reiterated that the USG still wants to cooperate
    and support Panama in the law-enforcement arena and would
    look into what the USG legally can and cannot do.
    (COMMENT:  Torrijos may not want the PTJ and the Attorney
    General to have the capability of listening to telephone
    conversations because it could reveal wrongdoing, which may
    eventually be traced back to the GOP or the Presidency.
    There is also the issue of depositing the power under the
    control of the President without accountability.  END COMMENT)

    Costa Rican Frontier
    --------------------
    ¶7.  (S) Torrijos confided that he has been speaking with
    Costa Rican officials about launching a joint intelligence
    operation to round up gun runners operating between Costa
    Rica and Panama.  Almost in the same breath, Torrijos
    lamented his inability to get the Costa Ricans interested
    in building a bridge to facilitate cross-border trade near
    Bocas del Toro.

    Free Trade Agreement
    --------------------
    ¶8.  (C) Ambassador Eaton shared his fears that the next
    "round" of talks with USTR might be the last chance for an
    agreement.  He added that he sensed diminishing patience in
    Washington for protracted discussions.  The Ambassador said
    that he hoped that Commerce and Trade Minister Ferrer will
    go to Washington with Panama's best and final offer.
    Torrijos gulped and soberly said that the two sides are
    close to an agreement and that Ferrer would indeed go to
    Washington ready to close the deal.

    SICA
    ----
    ¶9.  (C) Torrijos mentioned with great pride that he would
    chair the Central American Security Integration (SICA)
    starting in January.  He said this is an opportunity to
    advance regional security integration issues, but did not
    provide any details of specific plans or initiatives.

    President Bush's Visit
    ----------------------
    ¶10.  (S) Torrijos is evidently still basking in the
    afterglow of President Bush's early November visit to
    Panama.  He mentioned that First Lady Laura Bush's office
    had called the First Lady's office to discuss bird
    migratory patterns in an effort to focus on possible dates
    for a follow-up visit of Mrs. Bush to Panama.  Torrijos
    also said that former President Bush plans to visit Panama
    soon on a private fishing visit.

    Comment:  Atmospherics
    ---------------------
    ¶11.  (S) Torrijos genuinely seemed to enjoy being on the
    hustings.  He personally drove his SUV from the helicopter
    to the various events, honking his horn at passersby,
    stopping to chat with folks along the road and on their
    front porches, calling out to residents (by name).  He
    glad-handed enthusiastically, sweeping children and babies
    into his arms (for great photo ops).  His speeches were
    lively (and funny), passionate, and clearly connected with
    his audience.

    More Atmospherics
    -----------------
    ¶12.  (S) Ambassador also was struck by the number of people
    who carried photos and posters of Torrijos's father, the
    former military dictator Gen. Omar Torrijos.  Martin
    Torrijos seems to have a similar populist bent.  In
    unguarded comments throughout the day, Torrijos revealed
    himself as a man determined to do the right thing and to
    improve conditions in Panama.  His heart seems in the right
    place.  His execution needs to improve to make his dreams a
    reality.
    EATON

`