politics

González to step aside

The president of the Asamblea Nacional, Pedro Miguel González, has said that he will not seek re-election when his term expires Sept. 1.

"Because of the problems that have come up, I am not thinking of running for another term," González said.

His election last year was controversial because of his outstanding warrant on murder charges in the United States for the 1992 killing of an American soldier. While he was cleared of those charges by a Panamanian court, U.S. officials had sought to try him in that country.

Recently, U.S. Congressman Charles Rangel said González's election was one of the primary reasons that a free trade agreement between Panama and the U.S. was not going to be ratified by Congress. Rangel is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees such legislation.

Rangel expressed that view to members of Panama's government in February. The government had spent more than $1 million in fees to lobbyists and other expenses trying to get the free trade agreement passed. The agreement is widely viewed as a key compnent to Panama's continued economic growth as the United States is the country's largest trading partner.

For his part, González said that he does not believe that his election was the sole reason that the agreement failed to pass, and pointed out that the Democratic party leaders in the U.S. had widely criticized such agreements. Both Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the two frontrunners for the party's nomination, have criticized the North American Free Trade Agreement as being harmful to U.S. labor interests. It is therefore unlikely that any such agreements will be passed if Democrats win control of the White House this year.

González added that he has a meeting scheduled with his America lawyer who is trying to convince authorities there to review the case "with a fresh and unprejudiced mind" and recognize the Panamanian court's decision.