US embassy cable - 04PANAMA274

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PANAMA 000274 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR S/CT, INL AND WHA/CEN. DEPARTMENT PLEASE 
PASS TO AID AA/LAC, LAC/CEN AND LAC/RSD. 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, ASEC, PREL, PM, LABOR, HUMAN RIGHTS,POLMIL 
SUBJECT: EMBASSY PANAMA CONVENES MINI-CTAG 
 
REF: A. 03 PANAMA 1736 
     B. STATE 14279 
 
 
1. (U) Per ref B, on February 2, Embassy's Pol Counselor, AID 
Director, Econ Counselor and NAS Director met with diplomatic 
representatives from G-8 countries and Spain to discuss 
Panama's counterterrorism (CT) requirements and 
vulnerabilities, each country's CT-related assistance to 
Panama, and areas for further cooperation within CTAG. 
Participants included Germany, Italy, Russia, Great Britain, 
Japan, France, Canada and Spain. 
 
 
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Our View 
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2. (SBU)  Pol Counselor explained that Embassy has identified 
four primary areas in which Panama is vulnerable to 
terrorists. (A) The Canal: The threat to the Panama Canal is 
low, but it remains a highly visible potential target.  (B) 
Panama's ports and maritime environment: Two million 
containers each year pass through Panamanian ports (and four 
million containers pass through the Canal), creating 
opportunities to target the United States, other countries, 
or the Canal with weapons of mass destruction (WMD).  Another 
concern is the approximately 7,000 large ships using the 
Panamanian flag of convenience and the more than 400,000 
Panamanian seafarers.  (C) Finance: Panama's advanced 
financial banking sector and weak incorporation laws are ripe 
for money laundering.  (D) Colombian spillover: Colombian 
narco-terrorists use with impunity Panama's border region for 
rest and relaxation.  To address these possible threats, 
Embassy described the USG's CT policy objectives in Panama, 
including the push for Panama's ratification of the last of 
thirteen international CT conventions, and detailed the 
CT-related sustainable development (AID), law enforcement 
(NAS), and security (MilGroup) assistance provided to Panama. 
 Each representative explained his/her country's viewpoint, 
analysis, and CT-related programs.  They generally concurred 
with Embassy's overall analysis and recognized that the 
overwhelming amount of CT-related assistance comes from the 
USG.  (See ref A.) 
 
 
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Germany 
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3. (SBU) Germany's Minister Counselor Bernd Ganter took 
exception to labeling Colombian insurgents as terrorists and 
bluntly stated that assisting Panama in addressing that 
regional stability challenge was "not in Germany's interest." 
 Ganter recognized the high visibility of the Canal as a 
terrorist target, but stated that Panama, as a "developed" 
country, should have the ability to protect the Canal and has 
the greatest interest in doing so.  Germany believes it faces 
no threat related to the Canal.  Furthermore, he said, the 
terrorist threat is greatest in Southeast Asia, where the GOG 
is concentrating its CT-related assistance.  Germany does not 
provide any direct CT-related assistance to Panama and 
recently withdrew its LegAtt-equivelant from the region. 
 
 
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Italy 
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4. (SBU) Italy's Commercial Attache Marco Ceasaroni agreed 
with the low terrorism threat assessment on Panama, confirmed 
that Italy does not provide any CT-related assistance to 
Panama, and pressed for more information/intelligence sharing 
between CTAG members and Panama as the best way to help 
Panama help itself and constructively use its limited 
resources. 
 
 
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Russia 
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5. (SBU) Russia's Charge' Oleg Ostrovskiy confirmed that his 
government does not provide any CT-related assistance to 
Panama, but highlighted Russia's close cooperation with the 
GOP's Financial Analysis Unit (UAF), sharing information on 
money laundering cases.  Ostrovskiy proposed that GOP 
officials be invited to Embassy's next mini-CTAG meeting to 
brief the group on Panama's needs in the CT field.  He asked 
that the mini-CTAG draft a matrix to directly link GOP CT 
priorities (based on the briefing) to possible CTAG member's 
assistance. 
 
 
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Great Britain 
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6. (SBU) Great Britain's Consul Penny Walsh mentioned her 
government's donation of two sniffer dogs for use at Panama's 
Tocumen International Airport and her embassy's cooperative 
relationship with Panama's National Police (PNP).  However, 
the GOGB has not provided any other CT-related assistance to 
Panama.  Walsh noted Panama's upcoming May 2 general election 
as a possible distraction to CT-related cooperation, training 
and assistance, and GOP responses to mini-CTAG requests. 
 
 
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Japan 
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7. (SBU) Japan's Counselor Tetsuo Hiraide provided the 
mini-CTAG with a detailed nonpaper of the GOJ's worldwide 
CT-related assistance, which focuses on the areas of 
immigration, aviation security, customs cooperation, export 
controls, law enforcement cooperation, and anti-terrorist 
financing.  However, Japan's direct CT-related assistance to 
Panama was limited to the visit of two subject-matter experts 
to assist the PNP with its telecommunications network.  CT 
seminars in Japan were attended by some Latin American 
officials but not Panamanians.  Hiraide commented that most 
of the GOJ's CT-related assistance is focused on Southeast 
Asia.  Japan's assistance to Panama is mainly in 
humanitarian, sustainable development and environmental 
projects. 
 
 
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France 
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8. (SBU) France's Counselor Jean-Luc Wertheimer stated that 
France does not provide any CT-related assistance to Panama, 
but in the past has offered law enforcement training, 
specifically for Panama's Technical Judicial Police (PTJ, 
similar to our FBI).  He highlighted the presence of a French 
Regional Customs Attache in Bogota, Colombia, and a Regional 
CT Specialist in San Jose, Costa Rica. 
 
 
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Canada 
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9. (SBU) Canada's Consul Manuel Mulas said his government's 
CT-related assistance focuses on anti-money laundering 
programs, including technical assistance to Panama's UAF and 
a regional Central American and Caribbean seminar, to which 
UAF representatives will attend.  Mulas also highlighted the 
GOC-sponsored regional seminar hosted in 2003 in Panama on 
the use of the internet in police investigations. 
 
 
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Spain 
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10. (SBU) Spain's Counselor Salvador Maspoch said his 
government has provided training in-country and in Spain to 
Panama's Public Force's (PPF) security-focused units. 
However, Maspoch hesitated to characterize the training as 
CT-related, implying that future training might be.  While 
Spain does not provide any CT-related assistance to Panama, 
Maspoch made a point of expressing Spain's willingness to 
help Panama in any joint CTAG efforts. 
 
 
WATT