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Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding a continued United States security presence in the Panama Canal Zone and a review of the contract bidding process for the Balboa and Cristobal... (Introduced in the House)

HCON 186 IH

106th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. CON. RES. 186

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding a continued United States security presence in the Panama Canal Zone and a review of the contract bidding process for the Balboa and Cristobal canal ports.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 17, 1999

Mr. ROHRABACHER (for himself, Mr. JONES of North Carolina, Mr. COOKSEY, Mr. NORWOOD, Mr. LEWIS of Kentucky, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. TIAHRT, Mr. HAYES, Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. GOODLATTE, Mrs. EMERSON, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. WELDON of Florida, Mrs. BIGGERT, Mr. MANZULLO, Mr. TRAFICANT, Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota, Mr. MCINTOSH, Mr. WICKER, Mr. CUNNINGHAM, Mr. SWEENEY, Mrs. CHENOWETH, Mr. DEMINT, Mr. TANCREDO, and Mr. STEARNS) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding a continued United States security presence in the Panama Canal Zone and a review of the contract bidding process for the Balboa and Cristobal canal ports.

Whereas the 50-mile long Panama Canal, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, is a key strategic choke point in the Western Hemisphere, is vital to United States and international economies, and remains a strategic passage for naval vessels;

Whereas the 1977 Carter-Torrijos Treaty transfers ownership of the Panama Canal to the government of Panama and requires all United States military forces to leave by December 31, 1999;

Whereas under the companion Treaty of Permanent Neutrality, which also becomes effective on December 31, 1999, the United States retains the right to protect and defend the Canal beyond the year 2000;

Whereas narcotics-funded terrorist forces in Colombia have spread their bases and logistical operations into southern Panama;

Whereas Panama does not have an army, navy, or air force, and the country's national police units lack adequate training, manpower, and equipment to deter heavily-armed hostile narcotics terrorist forces or to adequately defend the Canal against sabotage or terrorism from internal or external threats;

Whereas the Russian Mafia, Chinese Triad criminal organizations, Cuban government entities, and certain groups from the Middle East, all of whom who have been hostile to the United States, are active in Panama, conducting weapons smuggling, money laundering, and massive counterfeiting and piracy of United States products and intellectual property;

Whereas systematic smuggling of illegal aliens from the People's Republic of China has been conducted with the involvement of high-level Panamanian officials;

Whereas the communist People's Republic of China is making major political, economic, and intelligence inroads into Latin America and the Caribbean, posing a long-term threat to American security interests;

Whereas the Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa company, which has close ties to the People's Republic of China and has served as a conduit for funding and acquiring technology for the Chinese People's Liberation Army, has been granted a 25- to 50-year lease to control the Balboa and Cristobal ports on the Atlantic and Pacific ends of the Panama Canal; and

Whereas Hutchison Whampoa was awarded control of the canal ports, despite better offers made by consortia that included United States companies, through a contract bidding process that was widely regarded as secretive, corrupt, and unfair: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is a sense of the Congress that--

(1) the United States Government should request that the new government of Panama, under the leadership of President Mireya Moscoso, nullify the lease agreements for the Balboa and the Cristobal port facilities on each end of the Panama Canal and initiate a new bidding process that is both transparent and fair;

(2) the United States Government should request that the new government of Panama investigate charges of corruption related to the granting of the Panama Canal port leases by the previous Balladares administration; and

(3) the United States Government should negotiate security arrangements with the government of Panama that will protect the canal and ensure the territorial integrity of the Republic of Panama.