Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 97115 / 251,287

Articles

Browse latest releases

Browse by creation date

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
ETRD EAGR ETTC EAID ECON EFIN ECIN EINV ELAB EAIR ENRG EPET EWWT ECPS EIND EMIN ELTN EC ETMIN EUC EZ ET ELECTIONS ENVR EU EUN EG EINT ER ECONOMICS ES EMS ENIV EEB EN ECE ECOSOC EK ENVIRONMENT EFIS EI EWT ENGRD ECPSN EXIM EIAD ERIN ECPC EDEV ENGY ECTRD EPA ESTH ECCT EINVECON ENGR ERTD EUR EAP EWWC ELTD EL EXIMOPIC EXTERNAL ETRDEC ESCAP ECO EGAD ELNT ECONOMIC ENV ETRN EIAR EUMEM ENRGPARMOTRASENVKGHGPGOVECONTSPLEAID EREL ECOM ECONETRDEAGRJA ETCC ETRG ECONOMY EMED ETR ENERG EITC EFINOECD EURM EENG ERA EXPORT ENRD ECONEINVETRDEFINELABETRDKTDBPGOVOPIC EGEN EBRD EVIN ETRAD ECOWAS EFTA ECONETRDBESPAR EGOVSY EPIN EID ECONENRG EDRC ESENV ETT EB ENER ELTNSNAR ECHEVARRIA ETRC EPIT EDUC ESA EFI ENRGY ESCI EE EAIDXMXAXBXFFR EETC ECIP EIAID EIVN EBEXP ESTN EING EGOV ETRA EPETEIND ELAN ETRDGK EAIDRW ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS EPEC ENVI ELN EAG EPCS EPRT EPTED ETRB EUM EAIDS EFIC EFINECONEAIDUNGAGM EAIDAR ESF EIDN ELAM EDU EV EAIDAF ECN EDA EXBS EINTECPS ENRGTRGYETRDBEXPBTIOSZ EPREL EAC EINVEFIN ETA EAGER EINDIR ECA ECLAC ELAP EITI EUCOM ECONEFINETRDPGOVEAGRPTERKTFNKCRMEAID EARG ELDIN EINVKSCA ENNP EFINECONCS EFINTS ECCP ETC EAIRASECCASCID EINN ETRP EAIDNI EFQ ECOQKPKO EGPHUM EBUD ECONEINVEFINPGOVIZ ENERGY ELB EINDETRD EMI ECONEFIN EIB EURN ETRDEINVTINTCS EIN EFIM ETIO ELAINE EMN EATO EWTR EIPR EINVETC ETTD ETDR EIQ ECONCS EPPD ENRGIZ EISL ESPINOSA ELEC EAIG ESLCO EUREM ENTG ERD EINVECONSENVCSJA EEPET EUNCH ECINECONCS ETRO ETRDECONWTOCS ECUN EFND EPECO EAIRECONRP ERGR ETRDPGOV ECPN ENRGMO EPWR EET EAIS EAGRE EDUARDO EAGRRP EAIDPHUMPRELUG EICN ECONQH EVN EGHG ELBR EINF EAIDHO EENV ETEX ERNG ED
KMDR KPAO KPKO KJUS KCRM KGHG KFRD KWMN KDEM KTFN KHIV KGIC KIDE KSCA KNNP KHUM KIPR KSUM KISL KIRF KCOR KRCM KPAL KWBG KN KS KOMC KSEP KFLU KPWR KTIA KSEO KMPI KHLS KICC KSTH KMCA KVPR KPRM KE KU KZ KFLO KSAF KTIP KTEX KBCT KOCI KOLY KOR KAWC KACT KUNR KTDB KSTC KLIG KSKN KNN KCFE KCIP KGHA KHDP KPOW KUNC KDRL KV KPREL KCRS KPOL KRVC KRIM KGIT KWIR KT KIRC KOMO KRFD KUWAIT KG KFIN KSCI KTFIN KFTN KGOV KPRV KSAC KGIV KCRIM KPIR KSOC KBIO KW KGLB KMWN KPO KFSC KSEAO KSTCPL KSI KPRP KREC KFPC KUNH KCSA KMRS KNDP KR KICCPUR KPPAO KCSY KTBT KCIS KNEP KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KNNB KGCC KINR KPOP KMFO KENV KNAR KVIR KDRG KDMR KFCE KNAO KDEN KGCN KICA KIMMITT KMCC KLFU KMSG KSEC KUM KCUL KMNP KSMT KCOM KOMCSG KSPR KPMI KRAD KIND KCRP KAUST KWAWC KTER KCHG KRDP KPAS KITA KTSC KPAOPREL KWGB KIRP KJUST KMIG KLAB KTFR KSEI KSTT KAPO KSTS KLSO KWNN KPOA KHSA KNPP KPAONZ KBTS KWWW KY KJRE KPAOKMDRKE KCRCM KSCS KWMNCI KESO KWUN KPLS KIIP KEDEM KPAOY KRIF KGICKS KREF KTRD KFRDSOCIRO KTAO KJU KWMNPHUMPRELKPAOZW KEN KO KNEI KEMR KKIV KEAI KWAC KRCIM KWCI KFIU KWIC KCORR KOMS KNNO KPAI KBWG KTTB KTBD KTIALG KILS KFEM KTDM KESS KNUC KPA KOMCCO KCEM KRCS KWBGSY KNPPIS KNNPMNUC KWN KERG KLTN KALM KCCP KSUMPHUM KREL KGH KLIP KTLA KAWK KWMM KVRP KVRC KAID KSLG KDEMK KX KIF KNPR KCFC KFTFN KTFM KPDD KCERS KMOC KDEMAF KMEPI KEMS KDRM KEPREL KBTR KEDU KNP KIRL KNNR KMPT KISLPINR KTPN KA KJUSTH KPIN KDEV KTDD KAKA KFRP KWNM KTSD KINL KJUSKUNR KWWMN KECF KWBC KPRO KVBL KOM KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KEDM KFLD KLPM KRGY KNNF KICR KIFR KM KWMNCS KAWS KLAP KPAK KDDG KCGC KID KNSD KMPF KPFO KDP KCMR KRMS KNPT KNNNP KTIAPARM KDTB KNUP KPGOV KNAP KNNC KUK KSRE KREISLER KIVP KQ KTIAEUN KPALAOIS KRM KISLAO KWM KFLOA
PHUM PINR PTER PGOV PREL PREF PL PM PHSA PE PARM PINS PK PUNE PO PALESTINIAN PU PBTS PROP PTBS POL POLI PA PGOVZI POLMIL POLITICAL PARTIES POLM PD POLITICS POLICY PAS PMIL PINT PNAT PV PKO PPOL PERSONS PING PBIO PH PETR PARMS PRES PCON PETERS PRELBR PT PLAB PP PAK PDEM PKPA PSOCI PF PLO PTERM PJUS PSOE PELOSI PROPERTY PGOVPREL PARP PRL PNIR PHUMKPAL PG PREZ PGIC PBOV PAO PKK PROV PHSAK PHUMPREL PROTECTION PGOVBL PSI PRELPK PGOVENRG PUM PRELKPKO PATTY PSOC PRIVATIZATION PRELSP PGOVEAIDUKNOSWGMHUCANLLHFRSPITNZ PMIG PREC PAIGH PROG PSHA PARK PETER POG PHUS PPREL PS PTERPREL PRELPGOV POV PKPO PGOVECON POUS PGOVPRELPHUMPREFSMIGELABEAIDKCRMKWMN PWBG PMAR PREM PAR PNR PRELPGOVEAIDECONEINVBEXPSCULOIIPBTIO PARMIR PGOVGM PHUH PARTM PN PRE PTE PY POLUN PPEL PDOV PGOVSOCI PIRF PGOVPM PBST PRELEVU PGOR PBTSRU PRM PRELKPAOIZ PGVO PERL PGOC PAGR PMIN PHUMR PVIP PPD PGV PRAM PINL PKPAL PTERE PGOF PINO PHAS PODC PRHUM PHUMA PREO PPA PEPFAR PGO PRGOV PAC PRESL PORG PKFK PEPR PRELP PREFA PNG PGOVPHUMKPAO PRELECON PINOCHET PFOR PGOVLO PHUMBA PRELC PREK PHUME PHJM POLINT PGOVPZ PGOVKCRM PGOVE PHALANAGE PARTY PECON PEACE PROCESS PLN PRELSW PAHO PEDRO PRELA PASS PPAO PGPV PNUM PCUL PGGV PSA PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PGIV PRFE POGOV PEL PBT PAMQ PINF PSEPC POSTS PHUMPGOV PVOV PHSAPREL PROLIFERATION PENA PRELTBIOBA PIN PRELL PGOVPTER PHAM PHYTRP PTEL PTERPGOV PHARM PROTESTS PRELAF PKBL PRELKPAO PKNP PARMP PHUML PFOV PERM PUOS PRELGOV PHUMPTER PARAGRAPH PERURENA PBTSEWWT PCI PETROL PINSO PINSCE PQL PEREZ PBS

Browse by classification

Community resources

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 05PANAMA2369, PANAMANIAN PRESIDENT TORRIJOS ON THE HUSTINGS WITH

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #05PANAMA2369.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
05PANAMA2369 2005-12-07 15:58 2011-05-28 00:00 SECRET Embassy Panama
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
..S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 PANAMA 002369 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN, WHA/CCA, WHA/AND 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/07/2015 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ETRD PM POL CHIEF
SUBJECT: PANAMANIAN PRESIDENT TORRIJOS ON THE HUSTINGS WITH 
AMBASSADOR EATON 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William A. Eaton for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
1.  (S) President Torrijos invited Ambassador Eaton to 
accompany him on a November 25 helicopter visit to Cocle 
Province for a series of civic, cultural and political 
events.  With each mile separating him from Panama City, 
Torrijos relaxed and transformed into a gregarious 
politician, enthusiastically greeting people along the way, 
giving several stem-winding speeches, and clearly connecting 
with his audiences.  During private conversations throughout 
the trip, the Ambassador raised Torrijos's November 30 trip 
to Cuba, agricultural trade issues, the revocation of Supreme 
Court Justice 
Winston Spadafora's visa, the USG's apparently thwarted 
ambition to provide cell phone intercept technology to an 
anti-drug unit of the Judicial Technical Police (PTJ), the 
Costa Rican border, the Free Trade Agreement, President 
Bush's visit to Panama, and Panama's upcoming chairmanship 
of SICA (Central American Security Integration).  End Summary. 
 
Trip To Cocle Province 
---------------------- 
2.  (U) President Torrijos invited Ambassador Eaton to 
accompany him (along with the Ministers of Health and 
Public Works) on a Friday, November 25 helicopter trip to 
the Cocle province towns of Aguadulce and Ola. 
 
Torrijos Trip To Cuba 
--------------------- 
3.  (S) Torrijos told Ambassador of his plans for a 
November 30 trip to Cuba to accompany 78 Panamanians, with 
airfare paid by Venezuela, to receive free cataract surgery 
from Cuban physicians.  Torrijos claimed that the visit 
partly is an attempt to show Chavez that he has an 
"independent" channel of communication to Cuba.  (COMMENT: 
Some of what Torrijos had to say was eyewash that 
was mostly for our consumption.  On Cuba, Torrijos's 
comment that he's trying to maintain "Chavez-free" access 
to Castro is a stretch.  Castro himself will decide how 
warm relations will become.  As always, we are a bit 
puzzled by the obeisance that the GOP feels compelled 
to show to Cuba or why Torrijos should feel 
compelled to return to Cuba at the head of a non-official 
delegation so soon after his August 2005 trip to 
reestablish diplomatic relations.  There are most likely 
several reasons.  First of all, Torrijos faces no political 
down-side domestically.  By going, he is associating 
himself with a Cuban program that benefits poor 
Panamanians.  Also, his trip pleases the pro-Cuban faction 
within the PRD, also at little cost.  His comment about 
maintaining lines of communication without Chavez is silly. 
Torrijos was not concerned about Chavez when he actually 
was an issue some months back, when the Embassy warned him 
that Chavez would try to intrude (and did intrude) when 
the GOP traveled to Havana to re-establish diplomatic 
relations in August.  END COMMENT) 
 
Agriculture Issues 
------------------ 
4.  (S) Torrijos said he plans to remove phyto-sanitary 
controls out of the Ministry of Agriculture, which he 
acknowledged is controlled by cattle ranchers.  Those 
issues, he said, need to be handled independently, 
transparently and impartially.  (COMMENT:  This was 
apparently an attempt by Torrijos to assuage US concerns 
about protracted delays in issuance of U.S. beef import 
permits.  END COMMENT)  The reorganization plans will be 
made public in January. 
 
Spadafora Visa 
-------------- 
5.  (S) Ambassador informed Torrijos that the Embassy was 
moving ahead with the revocation of Supreme Court Justice 
Winston Spadafora's U.S. visa and would inform Spadafora on 
November 30.  Torrijos asked Ambassador not to announce the 
revocation, claiming that he is working with newly named 
Supreme Court Chief Justice Graciela Dixon, to pressure 
change and possibly resignations.  Dixon would be a good 
partner in cleaning up the Court, Torrijos said, but he 
feared a visa revocation would make his negotiations with 
Dixon "more difficult."  Ambassador told Torrijos (to his 
evident disappointment) that Spadafora's visa had already 
been revoked but that the Embassy did not plan to make a 
public statement other than to confirm the revocation, if 
asked.  Ambassador told Torrijos that Spadafora lost 
his visa because his corrupt practices and activities as 
Supreme Court Justice were undermining democratic and 
judicial institutions in Panama.  (COMMENT:  Embassy 
confirmed the revocation of Spadafora's visa on November 
30, as rumors blanketed the city.  We are skeptical about 
Torrijos's suggestions that he and Graciela Dixon are going 
to clean up the Court.  However, seeing is believing. 
We may assume that Torrijos has his own reasons for wishing 
that the revocation never happened or that news 
never got out, but we doubt that those reasons are the ones 
he gave.  END COMMENT) 
 
DEA's Listening Devices Thwarted 
-------------------------------- 
6.  (S) Torrijos said that he is determined to keep 
proffered cell phone listening devices, to be supplied by 
DEA, out of the hands of the Judicial Technical Police 
(PTJ), which, he said, had spied on him when he was a 
candidate for president.  Torrijos said he wanted the 
Consejo Nacional de Seguridad (the "Consejo") to manage 
the project from the Presidency (i.e., close to him). 
Ambassador explained that giving such technology to the 
Consejo would be problematic, since U.S. laws required 
that it be handled through judicial/law enforcement 
(i.e., Attorney General) channels.  Torrijos bristled, 
and indicated that he would buy the necessary equipment 
himself if the U.S. couldn,t provide it.  He said he 
is preparing legislation to permit the use of telephone 
intercepts under carefully controlled circumstances to 
prevent its use for "political" or "extra-legal" purposes. 
Ambassador reiterated that the USG still wants to cooperate 
and support Panama in the law-enforcement arena and would 
look into what the USG legally can and cannot do. 
(COMMENT:  Torrijos may not want the PTJ and the Attorney 
General to have the capability of listening to telephone 
conversations because it could reveal wrongdoing, which may 
eventually be traced back to the GOP or the Presidency. 
There is also the issue of depositing the power under the 
control of the President without accountability.  END COMMENT) 
 
Costa Rican Frontier 
-------------------- 
7.  (S) Torrijos confided that he has been speaking with 
Costa Rican officials about launching a joint intelligence 
operation to round up gun runners operating between Costa 
Rica and Panama.  Almost in the same breath, Torrijos 
lamented his inability to get the Costa Ricans interested 
in building a bridge to facilitate cross-border trade near 
Bocas del Toro. 
 
Free Trade Agreement 
-------------------- 
8.  (C) Ambassador Eaton shared his fears that the next 
"round" of talks with USTR might be the last chance for an 
agreement.  He added that he sensed diminishing patience in 
Washington for protracted discussions.  The Ambassador said 
that he hoped that Commerce and Trade Minister Ferrer will 
go to Washington with Panama's best and final offer. 
Torrijos gulped and soberly said that the two sides are 
close to an agreement and that Ferrer would indeed go to 
Washington ready to close the deal. 
 
SICA 
---- 
9.  (C) Torrijos mentioned with great pride that he would 
chair the Central American Security Integration (SICA) 
starting in January.  He said this is an opportunity to 
advance regional security integration issues, but did not 
provide any details of specific plans or initiatives. 
 
President Bush's Visit 
---------------------- 
10.  (S) Torrijos is evidently still basking in the 
afterglow of President Bush's early November visit to 
Panama.  He mentioned that First Lady Laura Bush's office 
had called the First Lady's office to discuss bird 
migratory patterns in an effort to focus on possible dates 
for a follow-up visit of Mrs. Bush to Panama.  Torrijos 
also said that former President Bush plans to visit Panama 
soon on a private fishing visit. 
 
Comment:  Atmospherics 
--------------------- 
11.  (S) Torrijos genuinely seemed to enjoy being on the 
hustings.  He personally drove his SUV from the helicopter 
to the various events, honking his horn at passersby, 
stopping to chat with folks along the road and on their 
front porches, calling out to residents (by name).  He 
glad-handed enthusiastically, sweeping children and babies 
into his arms (for great photo ops).  His speeches were 
lively (and funny), passionate, and clearly connected with 
his audience. 
 
More Atmospherics 
----------------- 
12.  (S) Ambassador also was struck by the number of people 
who carried photos and posters of Torrijos's father, the 
former military dictator Gen. Omar Torrijos.  Martin 
Torrijos seems to have a similar populist bent.  In 
unguarded comments throughout the day, Torrijos revealed 
himself as a man determined to do the right thing and to 
improve conditions in Panama.  His heart seems in the right 
place.  His execution needs to improve to make his dreams a 
reality. 
EATON