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House Foreign Affairs Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Republican
May 8, 2008
Contact: Sam Stratman, (202) 226-7875
Alex Cruz, (202) 225-8200
Ros-Lehtinen Meets Today with Panamanian President
Trade, Merida Initiative, Cuba, and UN voting issues among topics
(WASHINGTON) - In a meeting today with the President of Panama Martin Torrijos, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) reaffirmed the two country's strong bilateral ties but raised concerns about Chinese influence in Panama, his disturbing statements regarding the Castro regime, and Panama's record of voting against Israel in the United Nations General Assembly.
During the meeting, Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also expressed her strong support for Panama's role in the proposed Merida Initiative, a three-year proposal to fight the spread of narcotics trafficking and organized crime in the region.
Ros-Lehtinen said she also expects Congress to complete work on the first year of the proposed Merida Initiative this month or in early June. "Merida offers an opportunity for the region's democracies to cooperate in tackling the shared problems of drugs and crime that endanger the security of all our citizens," said Ros-Lehtinen.
During the meeting, Ros-Lehtinen also presented President Torrijos with a letter co-signed by U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) urging a more equitable treatment of Israel at the United Nations, where they said Israel has been "unfairly targeted."
"Panama, like the U.S., enjoys very warm relations with Israel, a fellow democracy that shares our values of freedom and liberty for its citizens," the two write in the letter to President Torrijos. "We are struck by the dramatic differences between our two great countries at the world body."
In addition, Ros-Lehtinen voiced her concerns about China's growing use of its economic prowess for political objectives. "Beijing is seeking to manipulate countries in the Hemisphere into supporting a one-China policy and sever their ties with Taiwan, a democratic nation. I asked President Torrijos to remain firm in his commitment to strong bilateral relations with Taiwan, said Ros-Lehtinen.
"The vitality and promise of Panama's democracy and its growing economy serve as a bulwark against the forces of chaos and instability in the region. I am gravely concerned about President Torrijos' recent visit to Cuba. I cannot fathom how, as a democratically-elected leader, he would seek to expand relations with the Cuban communist dictatorship. President Torrijos should, instead, offer his support to and strengthen Panama's ties with Cuba's human rights dissidents and peaceful pro-democracy opposition. I hope he will reconsider his recent statements," said Ros-Lehtinen.
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Sam Stratman
House Foreign Affairs Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
202 226-7875
sam.stratman@mail.house.gov
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