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S E C R E T PANAMA 000041 

NOFORN 
SIPDIS 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2035/02/01 
TAGS: PTER SNAR PGOV PREL PM CO
SUBJECT: Confrontation with the FARC Rattles GOP 

CLASSIFIED BY: Stephenson, AMB, State, FO; REASON: 1.4(B), (D) 

Summary 



¶1.  (S//NF)  Three members of the FARC were killed in Panama's 
Darien province and two were captured on January 27, apparently 
after a Panamanian National Frontier Service (SENAFRONT) patrol 
stumbled upon the guerrillas traveling in a boat on the Tuira
river. Reports indicate the guerrillas opened fire after being 
ordered to stop. One of those killed was mid-level commander Gaspar 
Gonzalez, alias "Rene" or "Orejas", reportedly close to 57th Front 
commander alias "Becerro." Some in the GOP appear to be rattled by 
the encounter. Minister of the Presidency Demetrio "Jimmy" 
Papadimitriu told the DCM January 28 that he did not have details 
on what had happened, and played down the request for helicopter 
support he had made the night before . Reinforcements are being 
sent into the area, apparently in fear of a possible retaliatory 
strike by the FARC. The GOP has strenuously denied reports in the 
Colombian press that the GOP bombed a camp. Mitchel Doens, 
Secretary General of the opposition Democratic Revolutionary Party 
(PRD) told reporters January 28 that he was afraid the incident was 
part of a "hidden agenda" involving a pact with the Government of 
Colombia that might compromise Panama's security. End Summary 



Halt, who goes there! 



¶2.  (S//NF))  The incident took place on the Tuira River that runs 
through the Darien National Forest near the border with Colombia. 
The FARC 57th Front's Wilson Cordoba company, led by 57th Front 
Commander alias "Becerro" has long been based in this area. 
SENAFRONT has been carrying out a strategy for the last year, with 
Embassy support, to cut off FARC supply routes, restricting the 
amount of food that enters the area, and increasing patrols in 
choke points to make it more difficult for the FARC to operate. 
[Comment: It is the consensus view of Post Country Team that 
SENAFRONT does not have enough men, training, equipment or 
logistical capability to militarily confront the FARC, and that the 
"harassment" strategy is the most forward leaning strategy that 
SENAFRONT can maintain. End Comment.] Reports indicate this was a 
routine patrol of approximately 30 men, who were following up on an 
intelligence report on a nearby FARC camp. Reportedly the patrol 
saw a boat on the river with six or seven armed persons on board, 
and ordered the vessel to stop. When the FARC members opened fire 
SENAFRONT returned fire, killing two and wounding three. One of the 
wounded eventually died. There are reports that one person escaped. 
The prisoners are being questioned by Panamanian authorities. The 
SENAFRONT personnel involved in the incident had received SOUTHCOM 
funded training by the Joint Planning and Assistance Team (JPAT), 
including marksmanship training. 



¶3.  (S//NF)  Rene, a very active mid-level commander, was very 
close to Becerro, who played a key role in calming down members of 
the FARC that called for revenge after a similar incident last year 
in the Darien village of Manene. He has traditionally argued that 
the FARC should not confront Panamanian security forces, and has 
ordered the 57th Front to respect civilians and their property. It 
remains to be seen if the death of Rene leads him to take a 
different view of retaliation this time. 



We were wondering . . . 



¶4.  (S//NF)  The incident occurred at approximately 7:30 am. Over 

twelve hours later Minister of the Presidency Jimmy Papadimitriu
called Post's ODC Chief to ask for helicopter lift support to bring 
reinforcements into the Darien. When DCM called the next day and 
asked for a readout on what had happened and exactly what kind of 
support the GOP was requesting, Papadimitriu said he had "no idea" 
what had happened, and minimized the previous day's request, saying 
he had, "just been wondering if you had some helicopters." DCM 
explained that all USG assets were tied up in Haiti, and pressed 
the need for the GOP to put some real effort into security 
planning. Papadimitriu said that it was time for the GOP to take 
security seriously, and realize that it was expensive and they 
would have to pay for it. 



¶5.  (S//NF) On February 1, SENAFRONT Deputy Director Christian 
Hayer told Emboff that SENAFRONT had 800 men in the area, and that 
they would begin pulling them back in one week. Embassy personnel 
traveled to SENAFRONT HQ in Meteti, Darien on January 28 and 
reported that SENAFRONT had cancelled all leaves, and the 
SEAL-trained RECOM unit was seen mustering for deployment, while 
buses of other SENAFRONT units headed east towards the border. 
However, there was no sign of a logistics mobilization that would 
allow the units to remain deployed for much more than a week. 
Newspaper reports are stressing the fear of a retaliatory strike by 
the FARC as the reason for the mobilization. The GOP has forbidden 
land or air travel over the border region until Saturday, January 
¶30. 



Colombian angle 



¶6.  (U)  Shortly after the incident Colombian President Alvaro 
Uribe issued a statement from Davos, Switzerland thanking Panama 
and President Martinelli for the "military" operation that killed 
the three guerrillas. This was followed by a piece in the Colombian 
newspaper El Espectador that said Panama had "bombed" a FARC camp, 
citing Colombian Minister of Defense Gabriel Silva. Minister of 
Government and Justice Jose Raul Mulino made several public 
comments over the course of the day insisting that the encounter 
had been fortuitous, and denying that Panama had planned the 
operation ahead of time in any way with Colombia. 



¶7.  (U)  PRDSecGen Mitchel Doens told reporters January 28 that 
the incident was part of a secret agreement between Panama and 
Colombia that could compromise Panama's security. He pointed to the 
contradictory statements by leaders of the two countries, and 
called them "suspicious," noting that Martinelli and Uribe had 
recently met. He also highlighted Silva's reported statement that 
Colombia would, "continue offering our cooperation . . . in the 
campaign against the FARC." 



Comment 



¶8.  (S//NF)  All indications so far are that this incident was a 
result of happenstance, and that SENAFRONT is not actively seeking 
to engage the FARC. There does not appear to have been any change 
in strategy or tactics with regard to the FARC by the GOP. The 
President and many ministers are not in the country right now, and 
senior government leaders seem to have been caught off guard by 
the crisis. The major mobilization of SENAFRONT forces does not 
appear to be well planned. While a FARC retaliation is possible, it 
would be a major change in the FARC's modus operandi in Panama, and 

would entail serious strategic risks. Any attack would likely be 
against one of the many small isolated outposts throughout the 
Darien. 



¶9.  (S//NF)  Post has been pushing the GOP since Martinelli took 
office to focus on security before the linked problems of the FARC, 
narco-trafficking, growing gangs, and a rising murder rate began to 
seriously damage Panama's reputation as a safe place to invest, and 
eventually its stability itself. The solution is not just money: 
it's organization and will to find competent leaders to begin to 
reform and build solid security institution  in the country. 
STEPHENSON 

=======================CABLE ENDS============================