FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Panama is a member of the UN General Assembly and most major UN agencies, and started its fourth term as a member of the UN Security Council in January 2007. It maintains membership in several international financial institutions, including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.
Panama is a member of the Organization of American States and was a founding member of the Rio Group. Although it was suspended from the Latin American Economic System--known informally both as the Group of Eight and the Rio Group--in 1988 due to its internal political system under Noriega, Panama was readmitted in 1994 as an acknowledgment of its democratic credentials.
Panama also is one of the founding members of the Union of Banana Exporting Countries and belongs to the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. Panama is a member of the Central American Parliament as well as the Central American Integration System (SICA). Panama joined its six Central American neighbors at the 1994 Summit of the Americas in signing the Alliance for Sustainable Development, known as the Conjunta Centroamerica-USA or CONCAUSA, to promote sustainable economic development in the region.
U.S.-PANAMANIAN RELATIONS
The United States cooperates with the Panamanian Government in promoting economic, political, security, and social development through U.S. and international agencies. Cultural ties between the two countries are strong, and many Panamanians come to the United States for higher education and advanced training. In 2007, the U.S. and Panama partnered to launch a regional health worker training center. The center provides training to community healthcare workers in Panama and throughout Central America. About 25,000 American citizens reside in Panama, many retirees from the Panama Canal Commission and individuals who hold dual nationality. There is also a rapidly growing enclave of American retirees in the Chiriqui Province in western Panama.
Panama continues to fight against the illegal narcotics and arms trade. The country's proximity to major cocaine-producing nations and its role as a commercial and financial crossroads make it a country of special importance in this regard. The Panamanian Government has concluded agreements with the U.S. on maritime law enforcement, counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, and stolen vehicles. A three-year investigation by the Drug Prosecutors Office (DPO), the PTJ, and several other law enforcement agencies in the region culminated in the May 2006 arrest in Brazil of Pablo Rayo Montano, a Colombian-born drug kingpin. Assets located in Panama belonging to his criminal cartel were among those seized by the Government of Panama following his indictment by a U.S. federal court in Miami. In March 2007 the U.S. Coast Guard in cooperation with the Government of Panama seized over 38,000 lbs. of cocaine off the coast of Panama, the largest drug seizure in the eastern Pacific.
In the economic investment arena, the Panamanian Government has been successful in the enforcement of intellectual property rights and has concluded a Bilateral Investment Treaty Amendment with the United States and an agreement with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Although money laundering remains a problem, Panama passed significant reforms in 2000 intended to strengthen its cooperation against international financial crimes.
In January 2005, Panama sent election supervisors to Iraq as part of the International Mission for Iraqi Elections to monitor the national elections.
The Panama Canal Treaties
The 1977 Panama Canal Treaties entered into force on October 1,
1979. They replaced the 1903 Hay/Bunau-Varilla Treaty between
the United States and Panama (modified in 1936 and 1955), and
all other U.S.-Panama agreements concerning the Panama Canal,
which were in force on that date. The treaties comprise a basic
treaty governing the operation and defense of the Canal from October
1, 1979 to December 31, 1999 (Panama Canal Treaty) and a treaty
guaranteeing the permanent neutrality of the Canal (Neutrality
Treaty).
The details of the arrangements for U.S. operation and defense
of the Canal under the Panama Canal Treaty are spelled out in
separate implementing agreements. The Canal Zone and its government
ceased to exist when the treaties entered into force and Panama
assumed jurisdiction over Canal Zone territories and functions,
a process, which was finalized on December 31, 1999.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The government has converted the former PDF into the Panamanian Public Force
(PPF), a "law enforcement focused" force that is subordinate to civilian authority, composed, until August 2008, of four independent organizations: the Panamanian National Police (Policia Nacional de Panamá or PNP), National Maritime Service (Servicio Maritimo Nacional or SMN), the National Air Service (Servicio Aéreo Nacional or SAN), and the Institutional Protectional Service (Servicio de Protección Institucional or SPI). Utilizing special authority granted him by the National Assembly, President Torrijos enacted legislation in August 2008 that formed the National Frontier Service (Servicio Nacional de Fronteras or SENAFRONT), the National Aero-Naval Service (Servicio Nacional Aero-Naval or SENAN), and the Civilian Intelligence Service (Servicio Nacional de Ingteligencia y Seguridad - SENIS). The process by which President Torrijos enacted this legislation drew much public criticism, but his government moved forward on efforts to stand up these new entities beginning in September 2008. A constitutional amendment passed in 1994 permanently abolished the military.
Law enforcement units that are separated from the PPF, such as the Judicial Investigative Directorate (DIJ), also are directly subordinate to civilian authorities. The PPF budget, in contrast to the former PDF, is on public record and under the control of the executive. The lead criminal investigative entity is the DIJ. Previously under the nominal direction of the autonomous Attorney General and known as the Technical Judicial Police (PTJ), the DIJ is now part of the PNP though it maintains investigative links with the Attorney General's office.
Principal U.S. Embassy Officials
Ambassador--Barbara Stephenson
Deputy Chief of Mission--David Gilmour
Counselor for Political Affairs--Brian Naranjo
Counselor for Economic Affairs--Joel Reifman
Counselor for Public Affairs--Thomas Mesa
Counselor for Management--Mark Perry
Consul General--Mark Fry
The U.S. Embassy in Panama is located at Edificio 783, Avenida Demetrio Basilio Lakas, Clayton, Panama City (tel: 507-207-7000). Personal and official mail for the embassy and members of the mission may be sent to: U.S. Embassy Panama, Unit 0945, APO AA 34002. E-mail: Panamaweb@state.gov
