-Caveat Lector- http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=001851641145319&rtmo=aTBBXBBJ&atmo=gggggggK&pg=/et/99/12/14/wpan14.html Rebel threat to Panama as US gives canal back By Jerry McDermott in Panama City Panama Canal Commission: http://www.pancanal.com/ COLOMBIAN communist rebels have attacked a naval base on the border with Panama, killing 45 marines, it was reported yesterday. The hostilities came as America prepared for the official handover of the Panama Canal today after an occupation lasting almost a century. About 600 members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia launched the attack on the Pacific coast town of Jurado on Sunday. US military authorities are worried that the guerrillas could launch attacks inside Panama and even on the canal itself once America's withdrawal is complete. The attack was one of the heaviest in more than a year and was thought to be the worst defeat suffered by a naval unit in Colombia's long-running war that has claimed more than 35,000 lives in the past 10 years. Today's handover ceremony will be a deliberately low-key affair, with America wanting to bow out of the region quietly. Madeleine Albright, the US Secretary of State, cancelled her visit, leaving former President Jimmy Carter, who signed the Canal Treaty in 1977, to lead the American delegation. Panama's Foreign Minister, Jose Miguel Aleman, played down the significance of the low level of US representation and hailed a new age in relations with the superpower that has dominated Panama's history. Other dignitaries due to attend the ceremony include King Juan Carlos of Spain and the president Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico. With the transfer of the waterway, Panama's chief economic resource will pass into Panamanian hands, giving the country of 2.8 million people full sovereignty over all its territory for the first time since it won independence from Colombia in 1903. Panama will regain all 363,000 acres of lush tropical land the United States has used for military bases. A recent poll in La Prensa daily newspaper disclosed that 61 per cent of the population were opposed to a complete withdrawal of the American military who will be gone by Dec 31, the official handover day. Panamanians have good reason to fear the departure of American troops, whose numbers peaked at 64,000 during the Second World War. Colombian guerrillas and drug smugglers have already begun to wage "turf wars" near deserted US bases. "The truth is that we cannot believe they're going," said Javier Castano, a bar owner. "We always thought there would be some deal, like the anti-drug centre, which would mean US troops stayed." The Colombian army, which is 120,000 strong, has struggled to contain the 20,000 guerrillas and it is widely accepted that Panama would have little chance against them. It simply hopes the border problem will go away. While US-Panamanian relations in the next century largely remain to be defined, leaders said mutual economic interests and democratic principles would be key. The United States is the canal's largest customer. http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=001851641145319&rtmo=aTBBXBBJ&atmo=gggggggK&pg=/et/99/12/14/wpan14.html Bard DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
