30 June 1999

U.S. ON SCHEDULE TO RETURN MILITARY BASES TO PANAMA

http://www.usia.gov/cgi-bin/washfile/display.pl?p=/products/washfile/latest&f=99063001.llt&t=/products/washfile/newsitem.shtml

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(Bacon conducts briefing at Pentagon) (290)

U.S. ON SCHEDULE TO RETURN MILITARY BASES TO PANAMA

Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon says the United States is "right on schedule, if not ahead of schedule" for transferring control of the Panama Canal and all U.S. military facilities in the Canal Zone to the government of Panama by year's end.

The 1977 Panama Canal Treaty requires the transfer to be completed by December 31, and "we are right on schedule for doing that," Bacon said, noting that most U.S. military facilities have already closed.

He said the canal "has been largely run by Panamanians for some time," and that he expected Panama to manage it "competently, efficiently and skillfully" and "as the economic lifeline that it is."

The relocated U.S. Southern Command is now operating successfully from Florida, and the U.S. military is in the process of "replacing the airport facilities we have used in Panama ... with forward-operating locations in the Caribbean and other places so that we can carry out our surveillance and other activities that are part of the counter-drug program and our general security program," the spokesman said.

Bacon said the United States military will maintain "a strong presence in Latin America," albeit "more diffuse than it was when we were operating out of Panama." He also sought to emphasize that future U.S. facilities will not be bases, but rather "places from which our forces will be able to operate."

Meanwhile, the spokesman said, the U.S. naval presence in the region will continue. He added that the military-to-military relationships that the United States has with Latin American nations are much stronger now than "10 years ago."

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 30, 1999

Answers

At the end of last year I read that the panamamians awarded, in secret, the lease to operate the portages at each end of the canal. I believe that this contract controls the anchorages and access to the canal. I think the article was on WorldNetDaily. Anyone know the link?

The company is a Chinese company owned by several generals in the Peoples Army. In other words, the Chinese army now controls the access to our main resupply route by ship to the Pacific. Apparently our friend in the White House either didn't know it was going to happen or knew and let it happen anyway. Care to place bets on which it was?

-- Redcoatsarecoming (Minuteman@Concord.com), June 30, 1999.

hi diane, isn't that dec 31 transfer date nuts?

-- jocelyne slough (jonslough@tln.net), June 30, 1999.

Joc: They weren't thinking Y2K in 1977. Of course, they don't think much ahead about much, anyway (except next election).

-- A (A@AisA.com), June 30, 1999.

Teddy Roosevelt will have a few words for Jimmy Carter.

I wonder why Carter didn't give CA, AZ, NM,TX and half of CO back to Mexico. Hawaii to the Hawaiians, Alaska to Russia. Cuba, Florida and the Phillipines back to Spain. Shoot, lets give the Luisiana Purchase back to France, and Washinton and Oregon back to the British. What's that leave....Guam to Spain? . Oh, and before we climb aboard the Santa Maria for England, lets let the indians know they can have the 13 colonies back. Cheerio! (I hope King George isn't pissed!)

Time for my noon nap..........(head on keyboard).........

-- mike (midwestmike_@hotmail.com), June 30, 1999.

I asked about the national security issue back when Carter signed the treaty. I was told that security was not considered to be the issue it had been, as the canal was not capable of accomadating the larger oil tankers and aircraft carriers. Don't know, never checked it out, just passing on what I was told then.

-- Paul Davis (davisp1953@yahoo.com), June 30, 1999.

Sorry,

I do believe that Chris C's ship, the Santa Maria was a Spanish ship.

When was the landing at Plymouth Rock? 1607 or so? Name of ship?

-- Mike (midwestmike_@hotmail.com), June 30, 1999.

Chinese involvement - he knew.

Carville was hired to manage the re-election of the current Panamanian leaders who are leasing these fomer US bases to the Chinese navy. Funding (for these guys to pay Carville, among others) was from the Chinese.

Critical - the only ships that can't pass through the Canal are the aircraft carriers. Everything else can fit. In others words, only those 2% of ships that were deliberately designed to be too big (the carriers and oil tankers - these carry important cargo, but the accumulation of ALL the rest of the cargo is more important) are not affected.

Chinese got a big one here folks. Again.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), June 30, 1999.

The Mayflower landed in 1620, followed by the Fortune in 1621 and the Anne in 1623.

-- Greg Lawrence (greg@speakeasy.org), June 30, 1999.

>Chinese got a big one here folks

Too right, Robert.

Those folks know how to get a value for thier money. Where else in the world can you BUY an administration.

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), June 30, 1999.

Contingency is to go through the ice pack north of Canada. With recent warming trends (others can argue the cause) travel through this region will be soon possible year round. They are already doing it north of Russia.

Got enough icebreakers?

-- (snowleopard6@webtv.net), July 01, 1999.