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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PANAMA 000274 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. -------Our View -------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.) ------Germany ------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 LegAttequivelant from the region. ----Italy ----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. -----Russia -----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. ------------Great Britain ------------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. ----Japan ----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. -----France -----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. -----Canada -----9. (SBU) Canada's Consul Manuel Mulas said his government's CT-related assistance focuses on antimoney 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. ----Spain ----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) securityfocused 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 (Edited and reading.) reformatted by Andres for ease of