A group of prominent Church leaders in the United States has called upon President Bill Clinton to honour the 1977 Panama Canal Treaties and totally withdraw U.S. military forces from Panama by the end of 1999. The letter also reminded President Clinton that the U.S. Government bears responsibility to clean up toxic wastes left behind at firing ranges and military installations in the country. And it urged President Clinton not to use plans for a regional drug centre to mask activities that would include training Latin American military officials in techniques of repression.
The October 15 letter was signed by 50 Church officials and leaders of peace organisations. Among the signers was Presiding Episcopal Bishop Edmond Browning, Anglican Observer at the United Nations Bishop James Ottley, three Catholic bishops, former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, and leaders from Baptist, Buddhist and Jewish religious communities. Signers also included the deputy director of the Center for Defense Information, Rear Admiral Eugene Carroll, Jr., and Ambassador Robert White, president of the Washington-based Center for International Policy. The letter argued that the U.S. Government should withdraw from negotiations aimed at ensuring a continued U.S. military presence after the handover of the canal to Panamanians.
Article five of the "Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal" established that after December 31, 1999,"only the Republic of Panama shall . . .maintain military forces, defense sites and military installations within its national territory." Yet U.S. and Panamanian officials have for months been negotiating a new agreement that would provide for a continued U.S. presence. Panamanian negotiators have reportedly balked at a provision for "extra-territoriality" for U.S. troops after 1999, something the letter asserted would "represent a renewed colonial enclave" in Panama. The signers stated that they supported "Panama's aspirations for complete demilitarization."
The Church leaders called for the U.S. Government to be accountable for the cleanup of toxic materials present on current and former U.S. military sites in Panama. The letter demanded declassification and disclosure of U.S. documents that could describe potential environmental hazards. "Without this full history of use, Panama will be hard put to effectively plan for future uses, implement programs that protect the canal watershed and safeguard the health of Panama's people," the letter stated. The Government of Panama recently proposed the creation of a bi-national environmental center to carry out cleanup of U.S. bases. According to the letter, "this proposal presents an unprecedented opportunity for the United States to demonstrate its environmental leadership and to adhere to the 'polluter pays' principle affirmed in domestic and international law." The U.S. has proposed that a regional center to combat drug trafficking be based in Panama. The letter writers warned that this would be nothing but a "disguised military base" that would "include military training as part of its activities, and would involve Latin American militaries, some of whom are among the worst human rights violators in the hemisphere."
The letter, which was organized by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, warns President Clinton not to try to relocate the controversial programs of the School of the Americas, currently located in the U.S. state of Georgia, "in Panama under another name."