VZCZCXYZ0017
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHZP #0562 1911757
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 091757Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY PANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2263
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0325
C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 000562
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2018
TAGS: PREL UNSC IS LE SY PM
SUBJECT: PANAMA: UNSC DEMARCHE ON ARAB GROUP DRAFT
RESOLUTION DELIVERED
REF: STATE 73171
Classified By: POLCOUNS Brian R. Naranjo. Reason: 1.4 (d).
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Need to Support Quartet, Roadmap
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1. (C) "We cannot allow anything to interrupt the
conversations between the Palestinians and the Israelis,"
Panamanian MFA Senior Advisor for UNSC Matters Nils Castro
told POLCOUNS on July 9 in response to reftel demarche. "We
need to keep the temperature down." Castro stated that
Panama fully agreed with the need for any text to be
balanced, to support the work of the Quartet, and to support
the Roadmap. Castro said Panama would welcome the
opportunity for "serious negotiations" on the basis of the
U.S. text. Noting that the Israeli Ambassador to Panama had
demarched him on the same matter, Castro said he believed it
was strange that Libya was pushing the settlements issue so
hard when the Palestinians, according to Israel's Ambassador,
were not presently raising it themselves with Israel. Castro
undertook to engage PANPR Arias to seek reactions and to
encourage Panama to play a moderating role in discussions in
New York.
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FM Unavailable
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2. (C) First VP and FM Samuel Lewis, recently returned from
an overseas visit, was unavailable for Charge, so POLCOUNS
delivered these messages to Lewis' lead UNSC advisor. POL
also double tracked this demarche at the working level with
MFA UNSC Team Advisor Janio Tunon who undertook to share the
substance of this demarche with PANUN.
MESA