Panama, US Deal Ungreen, Unfriendly
Panamanian environmentalists denounced the consequences for the ecosystem of a proposed Free Trade Treaty (FTT) between their country and the United States.

Ariel Rodriguez, Secretary of Environmental Matters of the Alliance for the Conservation and the Development stated that the pact, awaiting ratification of both country s parliaments, "involves many aspects that should be more addressed because our economy is small."

"The FTT would be legally inadmissible if it is not approved in the National Assembly (parliament)," he points out.

The Executive Decree 209 from September 5 2006, establishes that these kind of commercial agreements should be subjected to an environmental administration process that includes citizen s consultations, Rodriguez states.

"This treaty is risky for ecology, can threaten the Panamanian homeland and create serious social difficulties," he warns.