US Officials Say Panama
Trade Deal May be in
Jeopardy
U.S. officials are
raising pressure on
Panama after its
National Assembly named
as president a man who
was indicted in the
United States on murder
charges. In Miami, VOA's
Brian Wagner reports
that officials say the
issue may jeopardize
approval of a free trade
deal between the two
nations.
The U.S. State
Department spoke out
earlier this month when
Panamanian lawmakers
selected Pedro Miguel
Gonzalez to lead the
country's National
Assembly. A spokesman
said the government was
disappointed at his
election, and noted
there is an outstanding
arrest warrant in the
United States for
Gonzalez because of his
alleged role in the 1992
killing of a U.S. solder
in Panama.
Thursday, U.S. Commerce
Secretary Carlos
Gutierrez also raised
the issue while leading
a Congressional
delegation to Panama
City for talks with
President Martin
Torrijos about a pending
free trade deal.
Gutierrez said the
Gonzalez election is a
new problem that needs
to be addressed, adding
it was up to Panama's
government to decide how
to resolve it.
Some U.S. lawmakers said
Gonzalez's role as top
lawmaker could lead them
to delay approval of the
free trade deal or block
it altogether.
Gonzalez has denied any
role in the shooting of
Army Sergeant Zak
Hernandez Laporte and
the alleged attempted
murder of another U.S.
soldier in Panama. The
attack took place during
a visit by former
president George H.W.
Bush to the Central
American nation. A
Panamanian court
acquitted Gonzalez of
similar charges 10 years
ago.
Former State Department
official Peter DeShazo,
who was in Panama at the
time of the killing,
said the outstanding
arrest warrant against
Gonzalez has remained on
the bilateral agenda for
years. "This is an issue
that is important to the
United States because
Zak Hernandez was a
member of the U.S. armed
forces. And it's been a
long-standing issue that
has gone unresolved," he
said.
DeShazo said there was
strong support in
Congress for the trade
deal with Panama before
Gonzalez was named to
the National Assembly
post.
U.S. lawmakers are
considering the Panama
trade deal, as well as
similar agreements with
Colombia and Peru. U.S.
officials say the deals
will help American
exporters by cutting
duties on their products
to the three nations.
They say 90 percent of
imports from Colombia,
Panama and Peru already
enter the United States
duty-free. |
|
