UN General Assembly
1996

Panama, as a sovereign State, is preparing to take on all the responsibilities stemming from the final transfer of the interoceanic canal in 1999, pursuant to the provisions of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties. One calendar year from the holding of the Congress, I wish to inform the General Assembly that the Panamanian Government is hard at work on preparations and stepping up consultations with international organizations and friendly countries in order to secure meaningful participation. The Panama Canal Congress will be universal in terms of participation; it will also be universal because Panama, with its universalist and Bolivarian traditions, takes the view that international maritime transport should be open uninterruptedly to all the flags of the world on an equal footing and under a neutral and universal regime that obliges us all to ensure its peaceful use and transit, taking into account the expansion of international trade and the growth of the world economy. Ours is a time in which nations appear to be closer than ever and in which there are tremendous opportunities