Anonymous ID: 0c6643 Dec. 22, 2024, 3:03 p.m. No.22212151   ๐Ÿ—„๏ธ.is ๐Ÿ”—kun   >>2163 >>2220 >>2279 >>2356 >>2395

WASHINGTON โ€“ The United States walked away from the Panama Canal yesterday, turning over the keys to Panamanians โ€“ who were angry that President Clinton snubbed the historic takeover.

 

โ€œWe regret that President Clinton has not come to this event, which is unique and historic for Panama and the United States,โ€ complained President Mireya Moscoso.

 

Former President Jimmy Carter stood in for Clinton, transferring the 80-mile-long canal to Panama after 96 years of U.S. control.

 

Carter negotiated the 1977 treaty that led to the turnover, which takes effect at midnight Dec. 31.

 

โ€œA new relationship now begins between your country and mine,โ€ said Carter, speaking in halting Spanish.

 

Carter also apologized for the prevailing attitude in the United States โ€“ that Panama isnโ€™t ready to run the canal and that it should have been required to pay the United States something for the $32 billion waterway and former Canal Zone.

 

Carter yesterday dismissed โ€œdemagoguesโ€ who say Panama will wreck or mismanage the canal โ€“ or, worse, allow the Chinese to hold it hostage.

 

โ€œThere are still some in my country spreading false stories about the security of the canal,โ€ Carter said.

 

Still, the turnover rankles many U.S. officials.

 

Congress has held hearings on the process, and the conservative Judicial Watch is going to court to stop the transfer. Several investigations are under way on Panamaโ€™s hiring of a private firm โ€“ a subsidiary of the Chinese company Hutchison-Whampoa โ€“ to maintain and oversee the canal.

 

Clinton never expressed interest in attending the ceremony, and the White House kept Vice President Al Gore and senior Cabinet members away as well.

 

Clinton issued a statement praising the government of Panama: โ€œTodayโ€™s ceremony underscores our confidence in the government of Panama and the Panamanian peopleโ€™s ability to manage this vital artery of commerce.โ€

 

on dec 31st, 1999 the 3rd and final US corporation bankruptcy