Panamanian officials said any strike by Islamic militants would likely focus on shutting down canal traffic, since nearly 4.5 percent of global seagoing trade passes through the waterway which links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

“I don’t think the problem would be so much in terms of human lives if there were an attack, thank God,” said Stanley Muschett Ibarra, spokesman for the Panama Canal Authority. “But, yes, it would be devastating...You cause some damage, and you make it inoperable. It would be that simple.”

Panama’s government has run the canal since US forces left in 1999 after more than seven decades of control.

Security experts say that, from a global perspective, the canal is probably a medium-risk site - not among the most vulnerable worldwide, but an attractive target.

Latin America has been largely on the periphery of the US-led “war against terrorism”, but a closure of the canal would be a blow to the US economy, since 14 percent of its exports pass through it.

“The main aim of the terrorists, apart from the publicity, would be to close the canal,” said Joanna Kidd, an international security analyst at King’s College in London.

Apart from the psychological effect, commodities, energy and manufacturing could take a big hit worldwide, she said.
 

Chilean Lawmakers Accuse US firm of Illegally Recruiting Mercenaries
Two Chilean lawmakers on Thursday accused US security firm Blackwater Security Consulting of illegally recruiting mercenaries for security tasks in Iraq.

Antonio Leal and Alejandro Navarro said Blackwater's recruitment, which hires Chilean army veterans, puts public order and national security at risk.

About 60 Chileans are working for Blackwater in Iraq, the firm said on its website.

Navarro, of the Socialist Party, said the accusation was filed in the 17th criminal court of Santiago.

"We are going to legislate to end with the mercenaries" and ban foreign companies from recruiting mercenary soldiers in Chile, Navarro said.

Blackwater, based in Moyock, North Carolina, confirmed last week that four US citizens killed and mutilated on March 31 in Iraq were its employees.
 

141 People Die During Holy Week in Central America
At least 141 Central Americans were killed and hundreds wounded during the Holy Week activities, the police and medical organizations of different countries affirmed on Wednesday.

Most of the fatal victims were killed by violent assaults, speeding accidents and alcohol drinking, the sources informed.

El Salvador tops the list with a total of 57 killed and 450 wounded, mostly due to violent attacks in the first four days of the Holy Week, the National Emergency Committee said Wednesday.

Nicaragua ranks second, with a death toll of 37, mostly caused by drowning, road accidents and suicide.

The number of deaths in Honduras between Saturday and Wednesday stood at 24 while the injured added up to 20.

The Costa Rican Red Cross revealed that so far the number of fatal victims in the country grew to nine, including three killed in road accidents, three drowned and three who committed suicide.

In Panama, seven people were reported dead and two wounded.

So far, nobody was killed in Guatemala in incidents connected to the Holy Week although 50 people were injured, local National Civil Police and the Volunteer Firemen reported.

Holy week is a traditional holiday in the Catholic Church, referring to the week between Palm Sunday and Easter. It began last Sunday, Palm Sunday, when the church recalls Christ's entry into Jerusalem the week before he was crucified.
 

Colombia Denies Dispatch of Troops to Iraq
Colombia denied reports Monday that the government was weighing the feasibility of dispatching troops to Iraq.

Ricardo Galan, spokesman of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, said the issue was not included in the recent meeting between Washington and Bogota.

"The Colombian government did not even consider the idea of sending soldiers to Iraq. The issue was not discussed in the recent Washington meeting between the presidents," he said.

The denial came after a report published in the British daily Financial Times claiming that the Colombian government began to analyze the dispatch of a contingent of 100 soldiers to Iraq to back the US-led coalition following Uribe's visit to Washington.

Colombia's Ambassador to the United States Luis Alberto Moreno also denied the report. "During President Uribe's visit to Washington, the issue of Colombia sending troops to Iraq was not touched on. This would require an authorization by the Colombian congress," he explained.

Late last month, Uribe paid an official visit to the United States, during which he met with his US counterpart George. W. Bush on matters like the launching of free trade area negotiations, the extension of the Plan Colombia and regional security.

During the visit, Uribe avoided a question at a press conference on the usefulness of the war in Iraq by saying that "the accords between nations to fight terrorism are not accords among political parties, among specific governments, but agreements among democratic nations as a whole."
 

US Environment Policy Slashed in Cuba
The US environment policy came under severe criticism Wednesday by experts attending the Tropic 2004 Convention in Cuba.

Experts from America, Europe and Africa accused Washington of being responsible for environmental pollution.

Ecuadorian expert Carlos Erazo cautioned the US and other developed countries to consider their companies' profits along with environmental protection.

In the face of serious deterioration of the Earth, it is imperative that factories use more environment-friendly technologies, Erazo said.

Carlos Lopez, Chief of Cuba's Meteorology Institute, criticized the US for refusing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, which aims to reduce the emissions of green house gases.

Lopez said it was necessary to cut the emissions to lessen negative impact on climate change.

The convention began Monday at Havana's Convention Palace and is due to last until Friday. About 300 Cuban and foreign experts attended the conference.