VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHZP #2268/01 3262036
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 222036Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY PANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9384
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL//J5/J2/POLAD//

C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 002268

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/21/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PM
SUBJECT: FM BACKTRACKS ON TORRIJOS PUERTO RICO INDEPENDENCE
REMARKS

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

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SUMMARY
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¶1.  (C) After several attempts to wiggle out of a bad
position, FM Samuel Lewis Navarro admitted to the Ambassador
November 21 the GOP had "screwed up" when attempting to draw
a distinction between President Torrijos's role as President
of Panama and as Secretary General of the PRD (the ruling
party) when delivering remarks supporting Puerto Rico's
independence.  Lewis also insisted that speech drafters went
to great pains to ensure that Torrijos would say nothing
inconsistent with the findings of the UN Decolonization
Committee and the U.S. Presidential Task force on Puerto
Rico's Status.  Lewis reiterated that Panama would remain a
steadfast ally of the United States.  The Ambassador told
Lewis that the remarks, which were both intemperate and
factually incorrect, had caused consternation in Washington
and had raised questions about what type of partner Panama
would be at the UN Security Council.  He thanked Lewis for
his explanation and welcomed his commitment to work closely
with the United States in future.  END SUMMARY.

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Torrijos Supports Puerto Rico's Independence
--------------------------------------------

¶2.  (U) On November 18, President Torrijos addressed a
gathering of the Socialista International, COPPPAL (Permanent
Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the
Caribbean), and members of Puerto Rico's Independence Party
(Partido Independentista Puertorrriqueno) to push the cause
of Puerto Rico's independence.  Panama's ruling party, the
Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) hosted the conference.
President Torrijos addressed the opening session of the
conference with a speech that included several remarks
supporting Puerto Rico's independence.  His remarks received
wide coverage in the local press and some of the wire
services.

---------------------------------
GOP Goes Into Damage Control Mode
---------------------------------

¶3.  (C) On November 20, Embassy Panama began a campaign of
phone calls to several Panamanian officials at the
Presidential Palace, the Foreign Ministry, and PRD
headquarters requesting the text of the President's speech.
Our entreaties were laced with comments about our incredulity
regarding the reports that Torrijos publicly supported Puerto
Rico's independence.  Unlike other speeches which are posted
on the Internet very quickly after delivery, the Puerto Rico
speech was not posted on any GOP or PRD website.  During our
conversations we began to hear the theme that Torrijos had
spoken as Secretary General of the PRD and not as President
of Panama and that he had stuck to language from the UN's
C-24 or Decolonization Committee.  Later in the day, FM Lewis
called the Ambassador to report that he had spoken to
Assistant Secretary Shannon to explain the remarks.  He
repeated the same arguments that Torrijos was not speaking as
President and about sticking to UN language that had been
approved by the United States.  The Ambassador reminded Lewis
that Torrijos did not have the luxury of deciding when he was
President and reiterated the request for the speech.  Lewis
promised to deliver them the next day.

------------------------------
Lewis Navarro: "We Screwed Up"
------------------------------

¶4.  (C) Lewis joined the Ambassador at the Residence on
November 21.  He handed the Ambassador the speech and
immediately noted that the title of the text of the speech
referred to Torrijos as Secretary General of the party.  He
tried again with the same arguments, adding that Torijos had
also been careful about sticking to language from the
President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status.  He further
explained that Panama had organized this meeting in an
attempt to take the issue away from Cuba.

¶5.  (C) The Ambassador told Lewis that the remarks were both

intemperate and incorrect and that they had caused a great
consternation in Washington, especially in the run-up to
Panama's membership in the UN Security Council.  Some were
asking whether Panama was going to be a serious interlocutor
in light of its organization and hosting of events like the
Puerto Rico conference, he said.  Such remarks are taken
seriously in Washington, and could be used by detractors as
an excuse to derail mutually beneficial initiatives such as
the Free Trade Agreement, added the Ambassador.  He
reiterated that President Torrijos cannot pick and choose
when he wants to be President and when he wants to be
Secretary General of the PRD; he is President of Panama
twenty-four hours a day.  The Ambassador also took the
opportunity to ask Lewis what motivated the President of the
Panamanian Congress, Elias Castillo, to go to Cuba to sign an
inter-parliamentary communiqu criticizing the U.S. embargo
and demanding justice for five Cubans who had been convicted
of espionage in the United States.  Lewis pleaded ignorance
about Castillo's activities.

¶6.  (C) Lewis finally said that they had "screwed it up" when
attempting to draw a distinction between President Torrijos'
role as President and as Secretary General of the PRD when he
spoke publicly in support of Puerto Rico's independence.
Lewis also said that Torrijos attempted in his speech to
praise the U.S. position on Puerto Rico and to say nothing
inconsistent with the Task Force report and UN Committee.
The Ambassador emphasized that the United States pays
attention to public statements by Panamanian officials and
meritably draws conclusions based upon the content of those
declarations.

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Comment
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¶7.  (C) Lewis clearly hopes that the Puerto Rico incident
will blow over quickly.  His discomfort at offering the same
set of lame excuses over the President's remarks suggests he,
and hopefully the GOP, comprehend their blunder.  However,
Lewis first said that Torrijos was "concerned" about the
effect of his speech, but then quickly backtracked, saying
that the President hoped the Lewis-Ambassador meeting would
take place and clear the air.  This raises questions as to
how seriously Torrijos takes the import of his remarks and
their potential consequences.  Lewis said Torrijos and the
GOP are "walking a tightrope" to ensure their credibility
with leftists in the country and region.  Given the GOP's
past tendency to say outrageous things in public and then
tell us it was no big issue in private, it is not unlikely
that Panama will continue to take up the leftist banner in an
attempt to play to all sides in the region.  As Panama moves
to take up its UNSC seat, the ramifications of the GOP's
desire to be friends to all and represent all voices in the
region can only become more significant.  END COMMENT.

EATON