Panama Days of Action

[Nick Morgan <nmorgan@igc.org>]

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NATIONAL PHONE IN TO WASHINGTON
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1997
DEFEND THE PANAMA CANAL TREATIES

Please call or fax to express your opinion on two main issues:

1) FOR WITHDRAWAL OF U.S. TROOPS FROM PANAMA
Call Sec. of State Madeleine Albright
Tel. (202) 647-6575, fax: (202) 647-0122 

Talking points The United States made a legal promise in the Canal Treaties to
withdraw troops from Panama by the end of 1999. The Clinton administration
should keep that promise.The "counter-drug center" proposed for Panama is a
fig leaf for U.S. military intervention in Latin America into the next
century, under the pretext of a failed drug war, or if local populations again
get out of hand. 

The counter-drug base would house U.S. troops and AWACS jets to detect
unauthorized air and sea traffic in the Caribbean and Andean regions. Local air
forces would then shoot down the planes or force them down and destroy them on
the ground. But the high- tech guns and radar in Panama haven't had any effect
on the supply or price of drugs -- by any measure you could use. 

The site for the "counter-drug center" -- Howard Air Base -- is worth nearly
1.5 billion dollars, according to an economic advisor to Panamanian President
Ernesto Pe'rez Balladares, which is more than a third of all the military
properties Panama will receive under the Canal Treaties. Many Panamanians
object to giving away the most valuable land, distorting Panama City's
development, for a foreign military base when Panama has abolished its own
military.

Polls in Panama show most Panamanians do not support keeping a U.S. military
presence if the U.S. does not pay rent -- which the U.S. has made clear it will
not do. Even if the U.S. and Panama made an agreement to keep troops after
1999, it might be defeated in the popular referendum required by Panama's
constitution.

CALL SECRETARY OF STATE ALBRIGHT TO SAY: The United States should close
discussions on the proposed "counter-drug center", and concentrate on
assisting Panama convert Howard Air Base and other bases to civilian use.
Counter-drug programs should focus more on our problems at home, instead of
militarizing Panama or other countries in the hemisphere.

2) FOR FULL ENVIRONMENTAL CLEAN-UP OF U.S. MILITARY BASES IN PANAMA Call Deputy Under-Secretary of Defense Sherri Goodman Tel. (703)693-1013, fax:(703) 693-7011

Talking points The U.S. military should clean up its mess. The U. S. has run
three major firing ranges in Panama for over 50 years, where it has left
unexploded mortars, bombs, rockets and other explosives. It also ran an
underground fuel facility -- Arraijan Tank Farm -- with more than a million
barrels of fuel, with a history of oil and gas leaks and spills into the soil
and a river next to the tanks. The Tank Farm transferred to Panama a few weeks
ago on January 15 without clean-up by the U.S.

The Canal Treaties require the U. S. to "remove hazards to human health and
safety to the extent practicable". But the Pentagon has defined "remove" to
mean "remove, contain or control." It has defined "hazards" to mean "imminent
or substantial danger." And it has insisted the U. S. will not clean up toxics
after bases are transferred to Panama, but at the same time is secretive about
what contamination there is on the bases, so that Panama is unable to negotiate
clean-up before transfer.

THE PENTAGON SHOULD:

- Turn over to Panama all information on the presence of contamination in the
canal area. Without such information, Panama cannot successfully plan for
future civilian use of the area.

- Commit itself to the polluter pays principle in Panama. Where hazards to
human health and safety are found, the U.S. should remove them in cooperation
with affected local communities. An explicit agreement should be made to make
future clean-up technology available to Panama - even after military bases are
closed .

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Fellowship of Reconciliation Panama Campaign
995 Market St. #801, San Francisco, CA 94103
Tel: (415) 495-6334 Fax: (415) 495-5628
E-mail: forlatam@igc.org