Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 19731 / 251,287

### Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden 00. Editorial United States Latin America Egypt Jordan Yemen Thailand

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03 2011/04 2011/05 2011/06 2011/07 2011/08
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15 2011/02/16 2011/02/17 2011/02/18 2011/02/19 2011/02/20 2011/02/21 2011/02/22 2011/02/23 2011/02/24 2011/02/25 2011/02/26 2011/02/27 2011/02/28
2011/03/01 2011/03/02 2011/03/03 2011/03/04 2011/03/05 2011/03/06 2011/03/07 2011/03/08 2011/03/09 2011/03/10 2011/03/11 2011/03/13 2011/03/14 2011/03/15 2011/03/16 2011/03/17 2011/03/18 2011/03/19 2011/03/20 2011/03/21 2011/03/22 2011/03/23 2011/03/24 2011/03/25 2011/03/26 2011/03/27 2011/03/28 2011/03/29 2011/03/30 2011/03/31
2011/04/01 2011/04/02 2011/04/03 2011/04/04 2011/04/05 2011/04/06 2011/04/07 2011/04/08 2011/04/09 2011/04/10 2011/04/11 2011/04/12 2011/04/13 2011/04/14 2011/04/15 2011/04/16 2011/04/17 2011/04/18 2011/04/19 2011/04/20 2011/04/21 2011/04/22 2011/04/23 2011/04/24 2011/04/25 2011/04/26 2011/04/27 2011/04/28 2011/04/29 2011/04/30
2011/05/01 2011/05/02 2011/05/03 2011/05/04 2011/05/05 2011/05/06 2011/05/07 2011/05/08 2011/05/09 2011/05/10 2011/05/11 2011/05/12 2011/05/13 2011/05/14 2011/05/15 2011/05/16 2011/05/17 2011/05/18 2011/05/19 2011/05/20 2011/05/21 2011/05/22 2011/05/23 2011/05/24 2011/05/25 2011/05/26 2011/05/27 2011/05/28 2011/05/29 2011/05/30 2011/05/31
2011/06/01 2011/06/02 2011/06/03 2011/06/04 2011/06/05 2011/06/06 2011/06/07 2011/06/08 2011/06/09 2011/06/10 2011/06/11 2011/06/12 2011/06/13 2011/06/14 2011/06/15 2011/06/16 2011/06/17 2011/06/18 2011/06/19 2011/06/20 2011/06/21 2011/06/22 2011/06/23 2011/06/24 2011/06/25 2011/06/26 2011/06/27 2011/06/28 2011/06/29 2011/06/30
2011/07/01 2011/07/02 2011/07/04 2011/07/05 2011/07/06 2011/07/07 2011/07/08 2011/07/10 2011/07/11 2011/07/12 2011/07/13 2011/07/14 2011/07/15 2011/07/16 2011/07/17 2011/07/18 2011/07/19 2011/07/20 2011/07/21 2011/07/22 2011/07/23 2011/07/25 2011/07/27 2011/07/28 2011/07/29 2011/07/31
2011/08/01 2011/08/02 2011/08/03 2011/08/05 2011/08/06 2011/08/07 2011/08/08 2011/08/09 2011/08/10 2011/08/11 2011/08/12 2011/08/13 2011/08/15

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1985/03 1985/05 1985/06
1986/05 1986/08 1986/12
1987/06
1988/01 1988/03 1988/04 1988/07 1988/08 1988/12
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08 1990/10
1991/05 1991/07 1991/11
1992/01 1992/03 1992/06 1992/09 1992/11 1992/12
1993/01 1993/02 1993/10
1994/11 1994/12
1995/01 1995/04 1995/06 1995/11
1996/07 1996/09 1996/11
1997/02 1997/03 1997/05 1997/06 1997/08 1997/10 1997/12
1998/05 1998/12
1999/01 1999/09
2000/05 2000/06 2000/09 2000/11 2000/12
2001/02 2001/03 2001/04 2001/05 2001/06 2001/07 2001/09 2001/10 2001/11 2001/12
2002/01 2002/02 2002/03 2002/04 2002/06 2002/07 2002/08 2002/09 2002/11 2002/12
2003/01 2003/02 2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### 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
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Apia Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Auckland Consulate Amsterdam Consulate Adana American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belmopan Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Belfast Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Ciudad Juarez Consulate Chiang Mai Consulate Chennai Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dili Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai Consulate Dhahran
Embassy Freetown Consulate Fukuoka
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guayaquil Consulate Guangzhou Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Hong Kong Consulate Ho Chi Minh City Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamilton Consulate Hamburg Consulate Halifax
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kingston Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kathmandu Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul Consulate Kolkata Consulate Karachi
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy Libreville Embassy La Paz Consulate Lahore Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE Mission USNATO Mission UNESCO Mission Geneva Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maseru Embassy Maputo Embassy Manila Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Mumbai Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey Consulate Milan Consulate Melbourne Consulate Matamoros
Embassy Nicosia Embassy Niamey Embassy New Delhi Embassy Ndjamena Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Nuevo Laredo Consulate Naples Consulate Naha Consulate Nagoya
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Of Spain Embassy Port Louis Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito Consulate Quebec
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Suva Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate St Petersburg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sapporo Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn Consulate Toronto Consulate Tijuana Consulate Thessaloniki
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Office Almaty US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE UN Rome Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vientiane Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Embassy Valletta Consulate Vladivostok Consulate Vancouver
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### 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
ASEC AEMR AMGT AR APECO AU AORC AJ AF AFIN AS AM ABLD AFFAIRS AMB APER AA AE ADM ATRN ACOA AID AY AG ALOW AND ABUD AMED ASPA AL APEC ADPM ADANA AFSI ARABL ADCO ANARCHISTS AZ ANET AMEDCASCKFLO AADP AO AGRICULTURE ACABQ ASEAN APRC ARF AFSN AFSA AORG AINR AINF AODE APCS AROC ARCH AGAO ASUP ADB AX AMEX ARM AQ ATFN AMBASSADOR ARAS ACBAQ AC AOPR AREP ASIG ASEX AER AVERY ASCH AFU AMG ATPDEA ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG AORL AN AIT AGMT ACS AGR AMCHAMS AECL AUC AFGHANISTAN ACAO
BR BB BG BEXP BY BA BRUSSELS BU BD BK BL BE BO BTIO BH BM BAIO BRPA BUSH BILAT BF BX BMGT BOL BC BIDEN BP BBG BBSR BT BWC BEXPC BN BTIU
CPAS CA CASC CS CBW CIDA CO CODEL CI CROS CU CH CWC CMGT CVIS CDG CG CF CHIEF CJAN CBSA CE CY CB CW CM CHR CD CT CDC CONS CAMBODIA CN CR COUNTRY CONDOLEEZZA CZ CARICOM COM CICTE CYPRUS CBE CACS COE CIVS CFED COUNTER CAPC COPUOS CARSON CTR CV CITES CKGR CVR CLINTON COUNTERTERRORISM CITEL CLEARANCE CSW CIC CITT CARIB CAFTA CACM CDB CJUS CTM CAN CAJC CONSULAR CLMT CBC CIA CNARC CIS CEUDA CHINA CAC CL
DR DJ DB DHS DAO DCM DO DEFENSE DA DK DOMESTIC DISENGAGEMENT DOD DE DOT DPRK DEPT DEA DOE DTRA DS DEAX
ECON ETTC EFIS ETRD EC EMIN EAGR EAID EU EFIN EUN ECIN EG EWWT EINV ENRG ELAB EPET EN EAIR EUMEM ECPS ELTN EIND EZ EI ER ET EINT ECONOMIC ENIV EFTA ES EET ECONOMY ENV EAG ELECTIONS ESTH ETRO ECIP EPEC EXIM ENERG ECCT EREL EK EDEV ERNG ENGY EPA ETRAD ELTNSNAR ENGR ETRC ELAP EUREM EEB EETC ECOSOC ENVI EXTERNAL ELN ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS EAIDS EDU EPREL EINVEFIN ECA EFINECONCS EIDN EINVKSCA ETC ENVR EAP EINN EXBS ECONOMICS EIAR EINDETRD ECONEFIN EURN ETRDEINVTINTCS EFIM EINVETC ECONCS EDRC ENRD EBRD ETRA ESA EAIG EUR EUC ERD ETRN EINVECONSENVCSJA EEPET EUNCH ESENV ENNP ECINECONCS ETRDECONWTOCS ECUN
FI FR FOREIGN FAO FARC FREEDOM FAS FINANCE FBI FTAA FCS FJ FAA FTA FK FT FAC FDA FINR FM FOR FOI FO FMLN FISO
GM GERARD GT GA GG GR GTIP GE GH GY GB GLOBAL GEORGE GCC GC GV GAZA GL GOV GOI GF GTMO GANGS GAERC GZ GUILLERMO GASPAR
HR HA HYMPSK HO HK HUMAN HN HUD HU HURI HILLARY HI HUM HSTC HEBRON HUMOR
IZ IN IAEA IS IMO ILO IR IC IT ITU IV IMF IBRD IWC IPR IRAQI IDB ISRAELI ITALY ITPGOV ITALIAN IADB ID ICAO ICRC INR IO IFAD ICJ IRAQ INL INMARSAT INRA INTELSAT INTERNAL ILC IRS INDO IIP ITRA IQ IEFIN ICTY ISCON IAHRC IA INTERPOL IEA INRB ISRAEL IZPREL IRAJ IF ITPHUM IL IACI IDA ISLAMISTS IGAD ITF INRO IBET IDP ICTR IRC
JA JO JM JP JOHN JUS JAMES JOSEPH JOHNNIE JML JIMENEZ
KOMC KNNP KFLO KDEM KSUM KIPR KFLU KPAO KE KCRM KJUS KAWC KZ KSCA KDRG KCOR KGHG KPAL KTIP KMCA KCRS KPKO KOLY KRVC KVPR KG KWBG KMDR KTER KSPR KV KTFN KWMN KFRD KSTH KS KN KISL KGIC KSEP KFIN KTEX KTIA KUNR KCMR KMOC KCIP KTDB KBIO KSAF KU KHIV KNNNP KSTC KNUP KIRF KIRC KHLS KIDE KTDD KMPI KSEO KSCS KICC KCFE KNUC KGLB KPWR KIVP KR KCOM KESS KREL KCSY KWN KRFD KBCT KREC KICCPUR KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KOCI KGIT KMCC KPRP KPRV KAUST KPAOPREL KCRIM KIRP KLAB KHSA KPAONZ KCRCM KICA KHDP KNAR KINR KGHA KPAOY KTRD KTAO KWAC KJUST KACT KSCI KNPP KMRS KHUM KTBT KNNPMNUC KBTS KERG KPIR KTLA KAWK KNDP KAID KO KX KVRP KFSC KENV KPOA KMFO KVIR KRCM KCFC KNEI KCHG KPLS KFTFN KTFM KLIG KDEMAF KRAD KBTR KGCC KSEC KPIN KDEV KWWMN KOM KWNM KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KRGY KIFR KSAC KWMNCS KPAK KOMS KFPC KRIM KDDG KCGC KPAI KID KMIG KNSD KWMM
LY LE LABOR LH LAB LI LTTE LO LU LA LVPR LT LG LOG
MARR MX MASS MOPS MNUC MCAP MTCRE MRCRE MTRE MASC MY MK MCC MO MAS MZ MCA MIL MU ML MTCR MEPP MG MI MINUSTAH MP MA MD MAR MAPP MR MOPPS MTS MLS MILI MEPN MEPI MEETINGS MERCOSUR MW MT MIK MN MAPS MV MILITARY MARAD MDC MACEDONIA MASSMNUC MUCN MEDIA MQADHAFI MPOS MPS MC
NZ NI NATO NO NU NG NL NPT NS NSF NA NP NATIONAL NASA NDP NIH NC NIPP NSSP NEGROPONTE NK NAS NE NATOIRAQ NGO NR NAR NZUS NARC NH NSG NAFTA NEW NRR NT NOVO NATOPREL NEA NSC NV NPA NSFO NW NORAD NPG NOAA
OTRA OECD OVIP OREP OPRC ODC OIIP OPDC OAS OSCE OPIC OMS OEXC OPCW OIE OSCI OPAD ODIP OM OFDP OFFICIALS OEXP OPEC ODPC OVIPPRELUNGANU OSHA OSIC OHUM OTR OMIG OSAC OBSP OFDA OVP ON OCII OES OCS OIC
PGOV PREL PARM PINR PHUM PM PREF PTER PK PINS PBIO PHSA PE PBTS PL POL PAK POV POLITICS POLICY PA PNAT PALESTINIAN PCI PAS PO PROV PH PERM PETR PROP PRELBR POLITICAL PJUS PREZ PAO PRELPK PAIGH PROG PMAR PU PG PDOV PTE PGOVSOCI PMIL PY PGOR PBTSRU PRAM PARMS PREO PSI PGOF PTERE PERL PINO PPA PRGOV PORG PP PS PKFK PSOE PEPR PDEM PINT PRELP PREFA PNG PTBS PFOR PUNE PGOVLO PHUMBA POLINT PGOVE PHALANAGE PARTY PECON PLN PHUH PEDRO PF PHUS PETER PARTIES PCUL PGGV PSA PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PGIV PHUMPREL POGOV PEL PINL PBT PINF PRL PSEPC POSTS PAHO PHUMPGOV PGOC PNR
QA
RS RP RU RW RFE RCMP RIGHTSPOLMIL RO ROBERT RM ROOD RICE REGION RELAM RSP RF RELATIONS RIGHTS RUPREL REMON RPEL REACTION REPORT RSO
SZ SENV SOCI SNAR SY SO SP SU SI SMIG SYR SA SCUL SW SR SYRIA SNARM SPECIALIST SG SENS SF SEN SENVEAGREAIDTBIOECONSOCIXR SN SC SNA SK SL SANC SMIL SCRM SENVSXE SAARC STEINBERG SCRS SARS SWE SNARIZ SENVQGR SAN ST SIPDIS SSA SPCVIS SOFA SENVKGHG SHI SEVN SHUM SH SNARCS SPCE SNARN SIPRS
TRGY TBIO TSPA TU TPHY TI TX TH TIP TSPL TNGD TS TW TRSY TZ TN TINT TC TR TIO TF TK TRAD TT TWI TD TERRORISM TP TL TV TO TURKEY TSPAM TREL TRT TFIN TAGS THPY TBID
UK UNSC UNGA UN US UZ USEU UG UP UNAUS UNMIK USTR UY UNSCR UNRCR UNESCO UNICEF USPS UNHCR UNHRC UNFICYP UNCSD UNEP USAID UV UNDP UNTAC USDA USUN UNMIC UNCHR UNCTAD UR USGS USNC USOAS UA UE UNVIE UAE UNO UNODC UNCHS UNDESCO UNC UNPUOS UNDC UNCHC UNFCYP UNIDROIT UNCND
VE VM VT VZ VEPREL VN VTEG VTIZ VTPREL VISIT VENZ VAT VC VI
WHTI WIPO WTRO WTO WHO WFP WS WA WZ WI WMD WBG WWARD WHA WITH WTRQ WEU WMO WB
XA XW XX XK XL XM XS XF XR XY XG XT XC XH XD XE XV XB XU XZ XQ XI XTAG
YI YM YE YL YMCS
ZU ZI ZOELLICK ZP ZR ZO ZK ZF ZL ZB ZN ZH ZT ZJ ZEALAND ZA ZANU

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 07PANAMA1858, PANAMA: BALBINA - "I DON'T WANT TO RUN FOR

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. #07PANAMA1858.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
07PANAMA1858 | 2007-12-12 13:36 | 2011-05-31 00:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Panama

`

    VZCZCXYZ0000
    RR RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHZP #1858/01 3461336
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    R 121336Z DEC 07
    FM AMEMBASSY PANAMA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1539
    INFO RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
    RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
    RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
    RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
    RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 001858

    SIPDIS

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2017
    TAGS: PGOV PREL PM
    SUBJECT: PANAMA: BALBINA - "I DON'T WANT TO RUN FOR
    PRESIDENT"

    Classified By: Ambassador William A. Eaton.  Reasons:  1.4 (b)
    and (d)

    -------
    Summary
    -------

    ¶1. (C) "I don't want to run for president.  (Panama City
    Mayor) Juan Carlos Navarro will be the PRD presidential
    nominee," Panamanian Minister of Housing Balbina Herrera told
    POLCOUNS on December 9.  Echoing her emphatic August 9
    assertions to DCM, she declared, "I intend to run for mayor."
     Asked whether the governing Revolutionary Democratic Party
    (PRD) was moving in a more leftward and/or populist
    direction, Herrera said emphatically, "No."  Stating the need
    to continue moving in the modernizing direction started by
    President Martin Torrijos, Herrera said, "I am particularly
    concerned about the need to provide opportunity to middle
    class professionals."  Aware of her own anti-American
    activities in the past, Herrera professed to want a "richer
    exchange of views" with the U.S.  Herrera, at the conclusion
    of this three-hour conversation, led POLCOUNS on a tour of a
    recently completed housing complex to provide permanent
    shelter to those left homeless by the December 2005 Curundu
    fire.

    ------------------------------
    "I Don't Want to be President"
    ------------------------------

    ¶2. (C) "I don't want to run for president," Herrera declared.
     Panama City Mayor "Juan Carlos Navarro will be the PRD
    presidential nominee."  Pressed that Herrera consistently
    out-polled Navarro and that her popularity seemed to rise
    every time that she denied wanting to be president, Herrera
    said that she had made a commitment to Navarro to support him
    for president; "I stand by my word."  As when the DCM pressed
    on August 9, Herrera insisted that she wanted to be mayor.
    Later she remarked that her time to run for president would
    come in 2014.  She recounted how in 1995, following the
    President Ernesto "El Toro" Perez Balladares' presidential
    victory in which Balbina helped deliver San Miguelito
    (Panama's second largest municipality) to him, that Perez
    Balladares offered her a ministerial position. "I turned it
    down because I wanted to be President of the National
    Assembly.  I wanted to learn the congressional process, about
    how the budget process works, our programs."  Disappointed,
    El Toro told her that she would have to get the votes on her
    own, to which Herrera said she responded, "I will.  Just
    don't block my efforts."  Staying in the National Assembly
    proved to be "the best decision.  I learned a tremendous
    amount."  "I now want to be mayor of Panama.  I think it will
    be a similar learning experience."

    --------------------
    Inside the PRD Today
    --------------------

    ¶3. (C) Turning to the current dynamics in the PRD, Herrera
    said that Navarro was currently the only viable -- though not
    perfect -- option to be the PRD's presidential nominee.
    "There's no way (current First VP and FM) Samuel Lewis will
    win the nomination."  His campaign had failed to start, he
    had no structure, and he had no base in the PRD, Herrera
    summarized.  As for Perez Balladares, he is a very proud man
    -- "You know that he is deeply wounded by his lack of U.S.
    visa" -- but was a spent force in the PRD.

    ¶4. (C) Navarro would have a lot of work to do winning over
    key segments of the PRD, including "Torrijistas," but Herrera
    assessed that Navarro would eventually be able to win over
    doubters within the party.  Asked if Navarro heeded her
    advice, Herrera said, "Not frequently enough.  He is still
    relatively new to the PRD and would benefit from listening to
    advice.  He really has no structure around him, just himself
    and a couple of advisors.  Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to
    listen to anybody but himself."  Navarro was particularly bad
    about not heeding the party's own unwritten internal rules
    for building a base of support.  "He came to me once asking
    for a public statement of support.  My first question was,
    'Have you spoken with the President?'  He said he had not, so
    I told him, 'Do you know how he would explode if you were
    here lobbying me now?'"

    ¶5. (C) Previously on August 9, Herrera had told DCM that she
    thought that Navarro was paying too much attention to his
    presidential candidacy and not enough attention to his job as
    mayor. Herrera told DCM then that she was not going to be
    "manipulated" by anybody and would not "owe Torrijos or
    anybody else any favors."  While she agreed to run for the
    PRD Presidency, she said at the time that she would not rely
    on anybody to get her the votes.  As she said on December 9
    with respect to the PRD Presidency, so too Herrera said with
    respect to the mayor's race, "I will go earn the votes on my
    own."

    ¶6. (C) Torrijos had been weakened by "his mishandling" of the
    election of Pedro Miguel Gonzalez (PMG) as President of the
    National Assembly, but he still determined the direction of
    the party.  "Torrijos is still our president.  I've always
    been a disciplined PRD member, sacrificing quite a bit along
    the way.  I will continue to support my president."
    Regarding PMG's election, she said, "I told him (PMG) that
    I'd sacrificed a great deal for my party and my election.
    Asked by Torrijos to make room for Lewis and (Second VP
    Ruben) Arosemena to be vice presidential nominees, I stepped
    aside.  A lock to be President of the PRD, I stepped aside
    when asked to make room for Hugo Giraud."  (Note:  She
    laughed hysterically when POLCOUNS could not remember the
    name of the PRD's president.)   "Yet, Pedro Miguel was
    stubborn and thick (torpe) and selfish; he refused to step
    aside," Herrera said disdainfully.  "When I saw that his
    entire family was up in the galleries, I knew that he was not
    going to resign after being sworn in."  She asserted that PMG
    omitted the final page of his speech, which she had seen, in
    which he would have announced his resignation.

    --------------------------------------------- --------------
    "Need to Provide Opportunity to Middle Class Professionals"
    --------------------------------------------- --------------

    ¶7. (C) "We now have a massive party, slightly over half a
    million members," Herrera said, "who come from all walks of
    life and different social strata."  Arguing that the party
    needed to continue in the modernizing direction that Torrijos
    had charted, Herrera said, "We need somebody like Navarro who
    continue to pull this mammoth party in that direction."
    Asked if the party needed to turn in a more leftward and/or
    populist direction, Herrera said, "No."  Asserting that
    left/right did not make much sense in Panama, especially
    today, Herrera said that the PRD needed to be the party for
    all Panamanians.  "These days I am particularly concerned
    about the need to provide opportunity to middle class
    professionals."

    ¶8. (C) Whether doctors or teachers, engineers or accountants,
    Herrera said that it was becoming increasingly difficult for
    middle class professional families, even with two incomes, to
    sustain their standard of living given flat wages and the
    rise in the cost of living.  "Most importantly though, I am
    worried about the lack of opportunity for middle class
    professionals to rise above a glass ceiling in the companies
    and industries controlled by elite families.  The business
    leaders need to open opportunity for these people to
    achieve."  Asked if she was worried about providing
    opportunities for lower class workers, Herrera said, "No.  We
    have programs for them.  Many jobs have been created in
    construction and security.  While there are still problems,
    things are improving, and they know that we are responsible
    for that improvement."

    ¶9. (C) If Panama was to share wealth and opportunity more
    equitably, the economy had to continue growing.  "I don't
    wish to return to the ideas of my radical past.  Torrijos has
    shown us how we can keep the economy growing." That said,
    over the years, Herrera told DCM on August 9 that she had
    learned to respect the role of private enterprise.  "We need
    to let them do their business," she said, "but the government
    has a role to play in ensuring wealth and opportunity are
    shared."  Poverty, she added, was Panama's biggest challenge,
    but one in which the PRD was not reaching the masses; "It is
    a ticking time bomb."  She told DCM that cited crime was the
    second biggest challenge, but one that only received
    attention when somebody in an upscale neighborhood was a
    victim.

    --------------------------------------------- ----
    "Want to Keep a Conversation Going with the U.S."
    --------------------------------------------- ----

    ¶10. (C) "I want to keep a conversation going with the U.S.,"
    Herrera said.  She added that such contact needed to be
    handled carefully so as not to upset Torrijos or draw too
    much attention to the relationship. "You know that the
    Consejo (Council for Public Security and National Defense)
    listens in on all of us," she said in an aside, echoing her
    August 9 comments to DCM.  Herrera concurred that the PRD
    could often seem to be a black box in which it was often
    difficult to decipher what was going on inside.  "I am a bit
    surprised that you wanted to talk politics with me. I thought
    that the Embassy supported (Democratic Change (CD) President
    and presidential candidate Ricardo) Martinelli," Herrera
    said.   POLCOUNS said that that was not true, that the U.S.
    was not backing candidates in Panama, and that the U.S. was
    focused on supporting a free, fair, and transparent electoral
    process that strengthened Panama's democracy.  Whereas on
    August 9 she was primarily concerned by the challenge that
    former President Guillermo Endara would present in the
    presidential race, on December 9 she was primarily concerned
    about Martinelli.

    ¶11. (C) "The U.S. and the PRD would benefit from a richer
    exchange of views."  Aware of her own anti-American
    activities in the past, Herrera asserted, "I've come to
    realize that Panama needs a strong partnership with the U.S."

    --------------------------------
    Tour of Curundu Housing Projects
    --------------------------------

    ¶12. (C) The day's three-hour conversation concluded with an
    impromptu visit to a recently opened housing project for
    those left homeless by the December 2006 fire in Curundu.
    Prior to departing, Herrera explained that she had focused
    the Ministry of Housing (MIVI) on three main tasks:  building
    new public housing, rehabilitating older public housing, and
    keeping better housing statistics to track progress.  "My
    ministry has a plan that we prepared carefully.  When I had
    to travel to the States for a month for medical treatment for
    my granddaughter, I could do so confidently because my team
    is committed to this plan and knows what to do."  She then
    mounted up a handful of camp-followers and dashed off --
    POLCOUNS in tow -- to see an innovative housing project built
    in an old lingerie factory.  With great pride, Herrera
    strolled through the self-contained complex that provided
    efficiency, one bedroom and two bedroom homes to thirty-three
    of the nearly one hundred families left homeless by the
    fires.  She greeted many inhabitants by name and received a
    hero's welcome.  To live here, tenants had to sign an
    agreement to care for this property.  Also, MIVI coordinated
    with other ministries to bring in other needed social
    services.  She also outlined plans to purchase an unused
    warehouse and condemn a dilapidated building across the
    street to provide sixty to seventy more public housing units.
      Asked by one occupant, "You're not going to run for
    President; you're going to be our mayor, right?," Herrera
    responded, "Right."

    -------
    Comment
    -------

    ¶13. (C) Herrera's emphatic assertions that she would not run
    for president fly in the face of what is increasingly
    becoming accepted wisdom that she will be the PRD
    presidential nominee.  If true, then the opposition --
    portions of which are trying to demonize her, a task for
    which they have plenty of Noriega-era material -- may be
    preparing to run against the wrong candidate.

    ¶14. (C) Herrera came across as a fully committed PRD member
    who was prepared to sacrifice for her party but who also
    skillfully preserved her own political space.  She strived to
    impress separately upon DCM and POLCOUNS that she had
    consciously -- and more importantly independently -- arrived
    at her decision to run for mayor of Panama City, not
    president.  She portrayed this decision as a deliberate
    effort to gain executive experience and to overcome her
    skeptics' concerns regarding her radical past.  Of course,
    there could be a more strategic element to her calculus to
    run for mayor now and president later.  In doing so, she may
    believe that she can avoid failing to overcome the pendular
    effect of Panamanian politics that since 1989 has thrown each
    incumbent party out of government and replaced it with the
    opposition.  Seen in this light, Herrera may be calculating
    that Navarro will take the fall for the PRD in 2009 leaving
    her to swoop in to then benefit from the pendular effect in
    2014 to ride it back into power.

    ¶15. (C) Of course, it remains to be seen if Herrera -- the
    non-presidential candidate who's presidential numbers go up
    every time she professes not to want to be president -- would
    succumb to "draft Balbina" effort.  The most that Herrera
    would admit on either August 9 or December 9 was were
    circumstances to change sufficiently, then the political game
    -- and her role in it -- might change.

    EATON

`