VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHZP #0189/01 0381918
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071918Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY PANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9777
INFO RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0116
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC

UNCLAS PANAMA 000189 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KJUS KCRM PGOV PREL FR PM
SUBJECT: PANAMA:  NORIEGA EXTRADITION AND FRANCE 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (SBU)  French Ambassador to Panama Christophe Philibert 
provided Ambassador on February 5 a non-paper concerning the 
extradition of former Panamanian strongman Manuel Antonio 
Noriega to France (para 2).  Philibert also provided a draft 
press communique on the matter for use in Panama (para 3). 
End summary. 
 
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Non-Paper 
--------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Philibert provided the following non-paper, 
prepared in English.  (Note:  Philibert personally translated 
this non-paper to English from French, and it contains a 
number of English spelling, punctuation, and grammatical 
errors.)  Begin text: 
 
Situation of Mr. M. Noriega in France. 
 
The Paris court of justice (tribunal de grande instance) has 
condemned Mr. Manuel Antonio Noriega, in his absence, on July 
1st, 1999, to a penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of 
75 millions francs (now over 11 millions euros) for having 
carried out financial operations between France and foreign 
countries with money coming from illegal traffic of 
narcotics.  His wife, charged together with Mr. Noriega, Ms. 
Felicidad Sieiro, has also been sentenced in the same 
judgement to 10 years in prison and a fine of 100 millions 
france (more than 15 millions euros). 
 
The Republic of Panama, plaintiff claiming damages, could not 
obtain from the court that Mr. Noriega and Mrs. Sieiro be 
sentenced to a compensation of 380 millions francs (nearly 58 
millions euros) for moral and material damage to the 
Panamanian State.  The Republic of Panama has brought an 
appeal, and the Paris Court of appeal will examine this 
appeal on Nov. 20, 2007.  It is admitted that the sentence of 
1999, having been pronounced in the absence of Mr. and his 
wife, is not definitive.  Therefore the claim of the Republic 
of Panama will be examined only after the penal sentence is 
definitive. 
 
The illegal actions have been committed on french soil, in 
Paris and Marseilles.  The court has delivered an order to 
arrest (Mr. Noriega and Mrs. Sieiro).  Mr. Noriega, as soon 
as he arrives in France, will have the possibility to be 
judged again in his presence.  The facts for which Mr. 
Noriega is now in prison in the United States being different 
from those explaining his condemnation by a french court, Mr. 
Noriega will have, if he is extradited to France, to purge 
his offences (prison and fine of 1999, or new ones in the 
case he would be sentenced differently after a new process. 
 
In march, 2004, the French ministry of justice, on the basis 
of the bilateral extradition treaty of 23 april, 1996 between 
France and the US, has sent to the US authorities a request 
to obtain the extradition of Mr. Noriega.  In a note of april 
6, 2006, the US State Department has asked France written 
assurances on our capacity to recognize, during his possible 
detention in France, to Mr. Noriega the status of prisonner 
of war, recognized to him by the US authorities in 
application of the Geneva convention of August 12, 1949.  On 
January 25, 2007, we gave the answer that France could not 
recognize directly this status to Mr. Noriega because of the 
nature of the facts laid to his charge.  However, Mr. Noriega 
could, once in prison in France, benefit from most of the 
rights defined in the Geneva convention.  And as a former 
head of State, he could be granted special conditions for his 
time in detention. 
 
In the coming weeks, the US authorities will inform France on 
their decision on the french request for extradition. 
Because the Republic of Panama has also requested the 
extradition of Mr. Noriega, the US uthorities will have to 
decide to which country Mr. Noriega will be transferred./. CP 
 
End text. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
The French Embassy's Draft Press Guidance 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  The following is an informal translation, from 
Spanish, of the French Embassy's draft press guidance on the 
"Noriega affair."  Begin text: 
 
Title:  Press Communique of the Embassy of France in Panama 
related to the Noriega case. 
 
Text: 
 
France submitted a request for the extradition of Mr. Manuel 
Antonio Noriega in April of 2004 to U.S. authorities in 
connection with a judicial decision announced on July 1, 1999 
by the Tribunal of Major Instance of Paris for having 
conducted financial operations between France and foreign 
countries with funds originating from crimes against the laws 
on narcotics. 
 
France and the United States are bound by an extradition 
treaty of April 23, 2996.  This request is, as per customary 
practice, subject to examination of the North American 
authorities. 
 
End text. 
Eaton