editorial

Recently President Moscoso and her counterparts in several Central American republics said something that sounded like they support the US-UK war against Iraq. Since then the president has been the object of criticism for compromising Panama's neutrality. So she said some more neutral things and pointed out that above all she wants to see the Iraq War end quickly with as little bloodshed as possible. Sometimes being cryptic is the diplomatic and neutral way for a head of state to express herself, but an early campaign season and her lack of a consistent and principled foreign policy have deprived the president of the benefit of the doubt in many people's eyes.

With the US and UK arguing with France, Russia, China, and the majority of the UN Security Council, and with the bulk of world opinion reviling Saddam Hussein as a dangerous tyrant and also viewing George W. Bush as a dangerous adventurist, this is a good time for Panama to maintain its neutrality.

That does not mean letting down our guard, because there are those who might take advantage of the world's precarious situation to attack us. It's not a far-fetched concern. Panama has been attacked before. There was the 1994 Colon-Panama commuter plane bombing. There have been many attacks on this country by Colombian irregular forces.

That also does not mean an amoral foreign policy, by which Panama doesn't distinguish right from wrong and abstains when presented with questions of justice.

However, Panamanian foreign policy should be for the peaceful settlement of international disputes through negotiation and international law. When that fails and war breaks out, we should do what we can to help the victims and restore peace.

We should make our own foreign policy, one that puts Panamanian interests first. Our interests are usually best served by neutrality. Our best defense is to give nobody a reason to attack us, while preparing to fend off unreasonable attacks.

We shouldn't support the US against Iraq, and shouldn't back Iraq. We shouldn't support Israeli or Palestinian militarists. We shouldn't play favorites between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. We shouldn't get mixed up in Colombia's civil wars.

We should, however, do what we can to protect our canal and our borders. If the government’s policy is what it claims, strengthening canal security at this time of international conflict is a good move on the Moscoso administration's part.

We should take a stronger stand than we have so far against those who attack Panama. Whether or not we can enforce the arrest warrants, those who recently entered Panama to assassinate Kuna officials in Paya and Pucuro, and the leaders who ordered them to do so, should be charged with multiple counts of murder, kidnapping, arson and robbery. Whether or not they can be shown to have committed specific crimes here, members of Colombian paramilitary, guerrilla or government armed forces found in this country should be locked up in a Panamanian internment camp unless and until their country's war ends.

We should also join with the rest of the world community in treating those who attack civil aviation or maritime commerce as the enemies of all humanity that they are. We need not condone abuses in the name of fighting terrorism, but we do need to recognize that there can be no neutrality when confronting the likes of Osama bin Laden.

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