R 021823Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY PANAMA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2233
INFO NSC WASHDC
DIA WASHDC
CIA WASHDC
SECDEF WASHDC
CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 000539 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/01/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PM PREL
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL CALL ON PRESIDENT TORRIJOS 
 
Classified By: A/DCM THOMAS E. MESA, REASON 1.4 (A) AND (B) 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (C)  During President Torrijos' June 30 farewell lunch in 
honor of the Ambassador, Torrijos underscored the excellent 
state of bilateral relations, thanked the Ambassador for his 
work in sustaining that relationship, said he would move 
forward with re-structuring the security forces despite the 
false specter of "militarization" raised by the opposition, 
and spoke of the importance of institutionalizing and 
insulating the security forces from politics. Torrijos 
lambasted the media for what he described as a premeditated 
campaign to discredit him and his administration in an 
attempt to weaken the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party's 
(PRD) chances for victory in next year's presidential 
elections.  Torrijos expressed his hope that the Embassy 
would maintain its impartiality in the presidential campaign 
after the Ambassador's departure. The Ambassador and A/DCM 
assured him that our policy remained unchanged: we support 
democracy, the strengthening of democratic institutions, and 
not any particular party or candidate.  End summary. 
 
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Bilateral Relations Never Better 
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¶2.  (U) President Torrijos hosted a private lunch June 30 to 
bid farewell to Ambassador Eaton. He was joined by First 
Vice-President and Foreign Minister Samuel Lewis and Second 
Vice-President Ruben Arosemena.  Torrijos underscored that 
the state of bilateral relations had never been better.  It 
is a relationship, he added, based on mutual respect. He 
thanked the Ambassador for his valuable contributions to this 
positive relationship, noting that both he and the Ambassador 
came to their respective offices more or less at the same 
time. The Ambassador thanked Torrijos for his kind words and 
concurred that bilateral relations were strong. 
 
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Moving Forward with Security Force 
Re-structuring 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C) Torrijos said he was adamant in moving forward with 
the re-structuring of the Panamanian security forces.  In the 
next two months, he plans to proceed with the merger of the 
National Maritime Service (SMN) and the National Air Service 
to create a National Aero-Naval Service (SENAN), create a 
National Frontier Force (SENAFRONT), name a uniformed officer 
as head of the National Police, and reform the Council for 
Public Safety and National Defense (CSPDN). He and Lewis 
dismissed media and opposition criticism of the PRD's design 
to "re-militarize" the security forces as bogus. They noted 
that the PRD ruled by a new generation had no intention of 
reverting to military rule. On the contrary, Torrijos sees 
the re-structuring as a step away from the past since the new 
laws would supersede existing laws from the Noriega years. 
More importantly for Torrijos, the new structure would serve 
to create a professional service of well-trained officers who 
would respond to the growing security concerns of citizens 
and help secure Panama's open borders, especially its long 
coast lines, from narcotraffickers and terrorists. What he 
wants, Torrijos underlined, is to institutionalize the 
security forces, keeping them away from undue political 
interference.  He emphasized that he was the first president 
not to use the security forces to spy on political opponents. 
He lamented the "mess" he inherited when he assumed office. 
The security forces, including the Institutional Protective 
Service (SPI), the Panamanian equivalent of the Secret 
Service, had been infested with "political hacks." 
 
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Partisan Media? 
---------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) Torrijos claimed that the media had launched a 
deliberate campaign to discredit him and the PRD.  He was 
particularly peeved at articles in the June 30 edition of "La 
Prensa" (the paper of record) that alleged that his 
"luxurious" personal property and real estate were evidence 
of corruption and personal enrichment while President of 
Panama.  Lewis added that the media had ignored information 
from the President's press office denying the specific 
allegations made in the article. Torrijos said "unethical" 
media moguls, employees of opposition figures, were blatantly 
trying to forge a united opposition for the upcoming 
presidential elections.  He also feared that some in the 
opposition (read: Martinelli) were dangerously cavorting with 
the leftists construction union, SUNTRACS, and others for 
short-term political gains and economic interests without 
measuring the long-term danger to democracy.  The 
opposition's anti-Torrijos campaign was critical if the 
opposition had any chance of winning, Torrijos said, because 
of the high approval rating he enjoys (70-80 percent) within 
the PRD ranks.  He lamented, however, that unlike the past, 
the majority of PRD faithful were involved in the political 
campaigns out of personal interests rather than any political 
conviction. 
 
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Don't Be Fooled by the Opposition 
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¶5. (C) Torrijos expressed his concern that after the 
Ambassador departed the Embassy would be dragged into the 
Panamanian presidential campaign. The Ambassador and the 
A/DCM assured him that while the U.S. will continue to follow 
the election process closely, the Embassy would maintain its 
neutrality in Panama's domestic politics.  The U.S. will not 
support any particular candidate or party. Our policy, we 
stressed, was to support democracy and strengthen democratic 
institutions. 
 
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CMMENT 
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¶6. (C) Torrijos clearly felt comfortable during the lunch, 
comfortable enough to bear his frustrations and fears. He 
showed, once again, his thin skin, defending with passion his 
integrity and his pure motives in governing Panama.  We 
should take advantage of the confidentially he shares with us 
as we navigate a complex political landscape, looking to 
advance our cooperation on security issues. In the end, the 
public wants security and the public forces want professional 
management. Getting Panama's security apparatus up and 
running will not be an easy task, but one that is of great 
interest to the U.S. The manner in which the GOP will 
implement the re-structuring of its security elements, 
through Presidential degree and not through debate and a vote 
in the National Assembly, will not make the task any easier. 
Torrijos is also clearly concerned about the role the Embassy 
could play in influencing the upcoming election and wants to 
ensure we remain interested observers, not participants. 
Believing he is misunderstood and maligned by the press, we 
can expect him to lash out more frequently and publicly about 
slights, real or imagined as his time in office expires. 
 
EATON