Panama, U.S. Try To Smooth Frictions

President Bill Clinton and Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso tried to smooth over frictions last week over the handing back of the Panama Canal and vowed a "new beginning" in U.S.-Panamanian relations. Discord in recent months has cast a shadow over the Dec. 31 transfer of the canal to Panama's control to end a 96-year military presence in the Central American country. "I emphasized that the military relationship ends on Dec. 31," Moscoso told reporters after a 45-minute meeting with Clinton. "We do not want more military bases in our country." Moscoso met for 45 minutes with Clinton to stress that Panama will provide adequate security for the strategic canal after the U.S. gives up control of it on Dec. 31. "Our country is prepared to guarantee the efficient operation of the canal. No country is more interested than Panama in the security and neutrality of the canal," Moscoso said. "The security of the canal is not at risk," she said. For his part, Clinton resisted entreaties from Moscoso to do more to clear unexploded bombs from the thick jungle of the Panama Canal Zone. U.S. forces used part of the canal zone for target practice during a 96-year military presence in the Central American country. White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said Clinton told Moscoso that "we've met our treaty obligations of what was practicable to do as far as cleanup." "Most of the cleanup has been done. There are some areas that are impossible to get to as far as moving forward, but he did say that we wanted to continue to remain engaged and work with Panama in an effort to deal with this issue," he said. Panama is not convinced the U.S. cleanup meets the terms of the 1977 treaties under which Panama will take control of the canal at noon on Dec. 31. Moscoso said she told Clinton that "there will be a new relationship between our countries, that relations from now on will only be diplomatic and commercial." Lockhart said Clinton was "happy with the message brought by his counterpart, that this is a new beginning of a very important relationship, a very strong friendship between our nations. We will work together on issues of trade, counter narcotics. And we're very confident that this hand-off will go as expected and as detailed 22 years ago when the treaty was signed." The U.S., which helped orchestrate Panama's independence from Colombia in 1903, completed the 51-mile canal in 1914, and has protected it with U.S. military bases. Many American conservatives fear that China will try to command the canal after Panama awarded a contract to Hutchison Whampoa Ltd., one of the world's largest shipping and port companies, to operate the two facilities at the Atlantic and Pacific entrances to the waterway. Some Republicans believe the Hong Kong-based firm has ties to the Chinese military. "I told (Clinton) that if the canal is ever endangered, we will immediately make that known to the world and especially to the United States," Moscoso said. "He replied that he does not feel the canal will be in any danger in Panamanian hands." She added: "The canal will never be in Chinese hands. I want to make quite clear that there is no Chinese threat to the ports. They only have one port which they won in bidding, but they will not be in the canal." Lockhart said the United States was convinced China did not represent a threat to the canal but that America retained the legal right to intervene military to protect the waterway if deemed necessary. Moscoso said she invited Clinton to attend a Dec. 14 ceremony on the historic nature of the canal handover. Clinton told her he was thinking about it. - (Reuters)