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RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
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RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0090

C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 000046 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2017 
TAGS: PREL VE CU PM
SUBJECT: PANAMA:  LEWIS ON CUBA AND VENEZUELA 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William A. Eaton.  Reasons:  1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (C) Despite dragging its feet for months, Panama granted 
agrement to Venezuela's proposed Ambassador to Panama, Jorge 
Luis Duran Centeno, First VP and FM Samuel Lewis informed 
Ambassador on January 16.  Before doing so, Lewis said that 
President Martin Torrijos firmly warned President Chavez, 
during their meeting on the margins of Guatemala's 
presidential inauguration, that Panama would not tolerate any 
"interference" in Panama's electoral process or any 
"Bolivarian" activity.    Also, Lewis said that Panama had 
requested agrement from Cuba for its proposed ambassador, 
Luis "Lucho" Gomez.  Lewis also suggested that, as evidenced 
by its January 20 elections, Cuba was undergoing a 
"leadership renewal." 
 
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Chavez Shows Respect for Torrijos 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) "Chavez showed a lot of respect for the President," 
First VP and FM Samuel Lewis told Ambassador on January 16. 
"They had a cordial meeting in Guatemala."  Noting that 
Panama was the first delegation to meet with Chavez, Lewis 
asserted, "Unlike other countries that are always seeking 
something from Venezuela, Panama gets treated with respect." 
Lewis said that Torrijos informed Chavez that Panama would 
grant agrement to its proposed ambassador.  (Note:  Venezuela 
has been pushing aggressively for Panama to accept Jorge Luis 
Duran Centeno, an original member of MBR-200 and currently 
Venezuela's CG in Sao Paolo, as Venezuela's ambassador. 
Venezuela has not had an ambassador in Panama City for at 
least the last six months.)  "We warned Chavez though that 
Panama would not tolerate interference in its electoral 
process or any bolivarian activity, as we have seen already," 
Lewis added.  Noting that Panama would be changing its 
ambassador in Caracas, Lewis commented that Panama's 
ambassador had not worked out given how "chavista" he was. 
 
¶3. (C)  Comment: In granting agrement, Panama has finally 
folded to concerted, months-long Venezuelan pressure to 
accept its proposed ambassador.  There will be ample time in 
the run-up to Panama's May 2009 elections to evaluate the 
degree of respect that Chavez has for Panama and Torrijos by 
heeding Panama's warning to stay out of its internal politics. 
 
------------------------------- --------------------------- 
Sending New Ambassador to Cuba; Leadership Renewal Underway 
------------------------------- --------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Turning to Cuba, Lewis said that Panama had requested 
agrement for Luis "Lucho" Gomez.  Gomez would be heading to 
Cuba at an interesting period, Lewis commented.  For example, 
Lewis said that Panama understood that only thirty-five 
percent of incumbents would be permitted to be re-elected in 
the Sunday, January 20 congressional elections on the island. 
 Raul Castro appeared to trying to promote changes on the 
island, including allowing broader private property rights, 
unifying Cuba's three monetary systems through a monetary 
reform, and permitting Cuban citizens to enter tourist 
hotels.  "Raul is serious about change and reform," Lewis 
said, "and Fidel has promised not to be an obstacle." 
 
¶5. (C) Comment: Gomez, a hard-core member of the leftist 
"tendency (tendencia)" wing of the governing Revolutionary 
Democratic Party (PRD), has long ties with Cuba.  During 
OPERATION JUST CAUSE in 1989, this Afro-Panamanian took 
refuge in the Cuban Embassy where he resided for seventeen 
months before fleeing to Cuba.  Gomez returned to Panama in 
1995 following a general presidential pardon issued by then 
President Ernesto "El Toro" Perez Balladares.  Moving Gomez 
to Havana may have more to do with getting Gomez out of 
Torrijos' hair than with putting the right man in Havana for 
any prospective democratic process that may begin to unfold 
on the island.  Gomez, who works full-time at PRD 
headquarters meting out government patronage positions, 
became an increasing liability for Torrijos as compliants 
within the party regarding Gomez's handling of appointments 
rose. 
EATON