by General Manuel Antonio Noriega
April 2, 1990
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Panama is a Focus of U.S. Geopolitical Strategy
by General Manuel Antonio Noriega
April 2, 1990
On April 2, 1990, while appearing in U.S. Federal District Court in Miami for a pretrial hearing, General Manuel Antonio Noriega submitted the following comments on the invasion in writing to two members of the Independent Commission of Inquiry on the U.S. Invasion of Panama, Gavrielle Gemma and Teresa Gutierrez. The translation from the Spanish is by the Independent Commission.
Facing an internal problem of political administration, the National Assembly, popularly elected in 1984 and within its legal authority, replaced President Barletta and named Mr. Del Valle president.
The government of the United States then imposed economic sanctions on Panama, freezing its financial assets in the Banco Nacional in New York and all of the financial assets of the Panamanian nation: that is to say, the property of all the people. In addition, it seized goods and seven aircraft of the state enterprise Air Panama, and gradually imposed restrictions on U.S. multinationals, ordering them not to pay taxes to the Republic of Panama, including the medical insurance of many poorly paid workers such as the employees of the Chiriquí Land Co., Esso, Petro Terminal, Omaha, etc. Above all, the nonpayment of the Canal Annuities was in flagrant violation of international treaties.
The consequences of these arbitrary, illegal, inhuman and colonialist measures were deeply felt and still affect the economy and the life of the Republic of Panama, which is a poor a country, in the following areas:
a) Public health: The hospitals, medical supplies, and medical attention to the sick, above all to the children, were compromised and still feel the impact of the inhuman North American actions.