Cablegate: Ambassador Lunch with Cfz General Manager Nilda

VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHZP #1650 2361512
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 241512Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY PANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8819
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 2399
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0310
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 3204
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 001650

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/24/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL EWWT PM
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR LUNCH WITH CFZ GENERAL MANAGER NILDA
QUIJANO

Classified By: AMBASSADOR WILLIAM A. EATON FOR REASON 1.4D

--------
Summary
--------
1. (SBU) Colon Free Zone (CFZ) General Manager Nilda Quijano
told Ambassador on 14 August 2006, that she is disappointed
over the lack of GOP action to gain support for the Canal
Referendum. A self-described "leftist radical," Quijano
enjoys good support from Panama's business community and has
been a staunch proponent of corporate social responsibility.
End summary.

-------------------------------------------
FORMER LEFTIST ADVANCING IN "YES" CAMPAIGN
-------------------------------------------

2. (C) Nilda Quijano, General Manager of the CFZ, told
Ambassador over lunch on 14 August 2006 that she is
disappointed with the poorly organized "Yes" campaign for the
October 22 Canal referendum. She said she recently told
President Torrijos that Hector Aleman, Torrijos' pointman
for the Canal expansion referendum, was not doing anything to
organize the vote. According to Quijano, Torrijos
acknowledged Aleman's failure to deliver, but gave no sense
that he planned on taking any action. Aleman was still
nursing his wounds from his loss as Minister of Government
and Justice, Quijano stated. (Note: Torrijos reshuffled his
Cabinet last April and replaced Aleman with Olga Golcher.
End Note.) Not willing to wait for the President to take
action or for Aleman to engage in his task, Quijano said that
she would use her "training" as a leftist radical to mobilize
people and sell the Canal expansion project to average
citizens in terms they would understand. Quijano claimed she
had Torrijos' approval and planned to organize a network of
women to get out the "yes" vote.

--------------------------------------------- ----------
CORPORATE LEADER AND GOOD SAMARITAN, BUT NOT A POLITICO
--------------------------------------------- ----------
3. (SBU) Working side-by-side with the GOP to develop a
system that would organize the CFZ's financial and shipping
documents and records, Quijano stated that she stays on top
of reports and reviews them regularly to look for
irregularities. Her mission in keeping the CFZ
corruption-free had subjected her to political and economic
pressures, but due to Torrijos' hands-off approach about the
CFZ, she said that she had managed to fend off criticisms.

4. (SBU) Quijano has pushed CFZ businesses to contribute
funds for schools, hospitals, and sports facilities in the
city in exchange for "branding" projects that spotlighted the
CFZ companies and won them goodwill. Quijano said she was
currently working on building a nursing home for the elderly
and proudly spoke of her success in getting donations to fund
computer centers and improve the city library.

5. (SBU) Although Torrijos reportedly offered Quijano a
Cabinet position, she claimed she declined the offer because
she was not interested in politics and because she believed
her strengths lay elsewhere, not in party operations or
leadership. Quijano only recently joined the PRD in order to
appease others who carped to Torrijos about her political
independence.

------------
BIO COMMENT:
------------
6. (C) Educated in the former USSR and fluent in Russian,
Quijano has served as the Canal Free Zone (CFZ) General
Manager since 2004. She was reportedly effective in her
position as community relations chief at Manzanillo
International Terminal (MIT) prior to her position at the
CFZ. Quijano has complained about PRD pressures at the CFZ
and has said that she is happy she still has her job at MIT.
She told the Ambassador that MIT is holding her job for her,
but hedged on whether she would ultimately return to MIT
after serving at the CFZ.
EATON

© Scoop Media