politics

Rangel says FTA dead for this year

The US congressman said the election of Pedro Miguel González derailed the agreement, which would have passed easily.

LA PRENSA

Pedro Miguel González992068

U.S. Congressman Charles Rangel, chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, has sent a letter to the Panamanian government stating that the free trade agreement will not be addressed this year.

He said specifically that last year's election of Pedro Miguel González to the post of president of the Asamblea Nacional is the reason the agreement has not been addressed by the U.S. Congress. González is wanted in the U.S. for the murder of an American soldier in Panama in 1992.

The news is a blow for Panama, which had spent a large amount of money lobbying to have the agreement passed. The U.S. is Panama's largest trading partner, and the agreement was seen as a key way for the local economy to keep growing.

Rangel was quoted in the U.S. media as saying that he spoke to President George Bush about the issue, and also sent correspondence to Panama's government.

"Although Democrats initially felt enthusiasm for the agreement, the election of a man who is wanted in the United States for the murder of an American soldier to the leadership post of the National Assembly has made a vote virtually impossible."

Rangel was also quoted as saying that he told a Panamanian delegation last week that the trade issue will not be considered until González is out of office. He added that the FTA probably would have been approved had González not been elected.