Democratic Palestine : 34 (ص 24)
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- عنوان
- Democratic Palestine : 34 (ص 24)
- المحتوى
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tionally, 890 troops were dispatched
immediately from the 7th Light Infan-
try Division at Fort Ord, California,
and arrived on May 12th while another
group from the Sth Light Infantry
Division from Fort Polk, Louisiana
were sent. In total 1,700 soldiers and
165 marines of the 2nd Marine Expedi-
tionary Force were dispatched.
US troops in Panama now just about
equal the number of Panama’s Defense
Forces. Presently, American personnel
are based at 10 military installations
along the 50-mile long Panama Canal.
These additional troops were sent under
the pretext of protecting American
lives, similar pretexts were given for the
1965 invasion of the Dominican
Republic and the 1983 invasion of
Granada to justify US intervention in
an effort to protect US interests in the
region.
OAS RESPONSE
On May 12, 31 representatives of the
Organization of American States
(OAS) met to consider a request by
Venezuela to discuss Panama in a
special session to be held on May 17th.
The US circulated a petition among the
region’s leaders prior to the May 17th
meeting to condemn Noriega’s annul-
ment of the May 7th elections and call
on him to relinquish power. The US
also asked all Latin American countries
to withdraw their ambassadors from
Panama. Subsequently, Mexico recall-
ed its ambassador, the first Latin
American country to do so. One should
take into account here the fact that the
US funds two-thirds of the OAS
budget, $40 million yearly. The US has
historically resorted to using its
economic leverage whenever it sees fit.
On May 17th, the OAS met to discuss
Panama’s «serious crisis.» In this
meeting they called for the
«transference of power» in the quickest
possible time. The OAS also condemn-
ed Noriega with the exception of
Nicaragua.
A delegation of three foreign
WK
ministers and the Secretary-General
Joao Baera Soares arrived in Panama
on May 23rd to try to induce Noriega to
step aside. Noreiga responded by saying
that the attitude of the OAS toward
Panama is the result of US pressure and
sets a dangerous precedent.
The Panamanian cabinet condemned
the OAS accusing it of reverting to their
traditional role of supporting North
America.
US intervention in the internal affairs
of any country is a violation of the
sovereignty of said nation and therefore
should be condemned. The principles of
non-intervention in the internal affairs
of Panama should be respected as
stated in the Panama Canal treaties and
dictated by international law. This
deliberate violation of the Panama’s
sovereignty is Bush’s attempt to
forestall the transferring of the Panama
Canal to its rightful owners. @
US soldiers from Fort Ord, California as they leave
for Panama. - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 34
- تاريخ
- أغسطس ١٩٨٩
- المنشئ
- الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين
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