The people of Panama welcome the very
sound decision to elect Mr. Ali Treki to serve as
President of the General Assembly at its current
session. We are sure that he possesses the vision and
the leadership to guide the nations represented here
today.
I should also like to thank the Secretary-General
for his tireless pursuit of dialogue in the interests of
peace, security and the peaceful coexistence of peoples
and brothers.
Yesterday saw the conclusion of the Summit on
Climate Change. I congratulate all nations for their
collaborative efforts in confronting the global-warming
crisis. The beauty, resources and biodiversity of our
shared heritage are in peril.
Global warming is the most serious symptom of a
crisis caused by the excessive exploitation of
resources. We must apply new formulas, change our
behaviour and learn to value our relationship with
nature. Our options are clear: we can talk or we can
act. If we do not act with global responsibility, the
consequences will be irreversible.
Three million years ago, the Isthmus of Panama
emerged from the sea. We are one of the youngest
countries on Earth. As a result of our birth, a land
bridge was formed between North and South America
and constituted the narrowest stretch of land between
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Panama parted the
seas to unite continents, and generated a new global
network of ocean currents that transformed the climate
of the entire planet. The whole world changed when
Panama came into being.
Today, all forms of life upon this planet are the
result of an evolutionary process that adapted to our
birth. The great African savannahs and deserts came
forth from these changes, and modern man evolved
from those new savannahs.
Panamanians have always played an important
role for our neighbours and for the world at large. In
the next five years, it is our duty to demonstrate how
our economic and governmental model can serve as an
example for all who aspire to prosperity and progress.
I am an entrepreneur, not a politician. I went into
politics to change how things are done. I am a simple
and direct man. I believe that time is very short and
very valuable. I will expand upon my experiences in
the private sector and put them to work in the public
sector.
I was elected to the presidency with an
unprecedented mandate. Panamanians gave me a clear
mandate to deliver change to our country and build a
better Panama for all. We are placing the interests of
the people first and foremost, above personal or
partisan interests, because a country is more important
than a political party.
I have selected the best people to work in our
Government without regard to their political
affiliations. I have plans for the nation. We want
capitalism which is based on opportunities and rewards
responsible entrepreneurs who show solidarity, but
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capitalism which also strongly demands responsibility
and solidarity from any old-fashioned entrepreneurs
who do not satisfy those two criteria.
We formed this Government during a crisis. Less
than a year ago, we saw the collapse of the
international financial framework. The global
economic model was forever changed. Our guiding
light is the improvement of our peoples’ quality of life.
That is why, during the first 100 days, we increased the
salaries of all public officials and distributed $100 per
month to senior citizens over the age of 70 who do not
have a pension and require economic aid.
We will be building a modern new metro in
Panama, and it will be the largest employment
programme in the history of the country after the
expansion of the canal currently under way.
We have launched a construction project for low-
cost housing which will not only provide a safe roof
over the heads of thousands of Panamanians, but will
generate jobs at difficult times during a crisis.
The promises we have made meet the demands of
our people. But beyond that, they are part of the plan
we need to boost our economy.
America is a recently populated continent, and
Panama was the bridge across which the first native
Americans crossed to South America. They built great
cultures and civilizations such as those of the Incas and
the Chibchas. When the Spanish arrived, they made our
country into the commercial hub of their colonies.
When Panama separated from Spain, the first railroad
in the world between the Atlantic and the Pacific was
built, and that in turn led to the construction of our
canal. Today, Panama is the gatekeeper of the global
economy.
We are a small country, with less than 3.5 million
inhabitants, and services represent more than 75
per cent of our gross national product. The United
States dollar is our currency. We have a solid banking
and financial centre which is very conservative and
strictly regulated. The Colón Free Zone is the largest in
the hemisphere, thanks to the most important
commercial maritime route in the world, and this
makes us the most efficient logistical hub in the
Americas.
We shall soon begin the construction of a third set
of locks to expand the capacity of the Panama Canal,
thereby opening an important gateway for international
trade.
Panama is an ideal place to invest, to establish
enterprises and also to live. We will be transforming
Panama into the Hong Kong or the Dubai of the
Americas. Within the new Panama-Pacific Special
Economic Area, labour and immigration laws are
welcoming and flexible. Throughout our national
territory, there are fantastic incentives for investors.
Our spirit of service and open door policy make
Panama an enjoyable, exciting place of true
opportunities.
And despite the crisis Panama is growing. Talent
and creativity, social assistance, infrastructure and
investment in human capital will allow us to weather
the storm.
Panama was born to serve the world. Everyone is
more than welcome in Panama. We are open for
business.
We believe in free trade as a tool to improve
people’s lives. We want to do business with all nations
and have signed free trade agreements with our
strategic partners. We have already signed one with the
United States. To be ratified, it just needs one small
“push”, and I believe that President Obama will deliver
that push very shortly.
In Panama, we are proud of our history and our
heritage, our freedom of expression and thought, our
freedom to determine our country’s direction, and our
tradition of peace.
Peace is the best sentiment that any country or,
indeed, the whole planet can have. Peace brings with it
tranquillity, stability and growth. There is absolutely
no reason why neighbouring peoples should offend one
another, because no one wins and we all lose. The
children of Bolívar share the same history and the same
challenges. We have the same blood in our veins. We
are a single nation. Here, anyone who attacks, attacks
only himself. Anyone who retaliates, retaliates against
himself. Anyone who bears arms does so against
himself. Because here we are all siblings.
Weapons of war bring poverty. They steal the
bread from our mouths and the future from our
children. These weapons are not necessary, and at the
end of the day they solve nothing. Let us sit down
together, for there is nothing that we cannot solve
together. There is nothing like peace. And peace is
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what all countries of the world should be pursuing until
it is achieved.
I would like to talk here about our sister country
of Honduras, and the need for it to return to the rule of
law, which is necessary for its well-being and that of
Central America. That is why we are closely following
the reconciliation in Honduras.
The San José accord constitutes the best method
for formulating a consensus Government that can
oversee new elections and guarantee a peaceful return
to democracy. Let us allow the Honduran people to
solve their destiny and future with one another. We
Panamanians have the utmost trust in the Honduran
society’s capacity for reconciliation.
Nothing is stronger than words, either spoken or
written, and through dialogue we understand one
another, to paraphrase the poet. Communication is the
best conduit for cultures, education, ethnicities, history,
religions and politics. In Panama, we are a melting pot
of races, nationalities and ideologies that, through
communication and mutual respect, has created a
diverse society with common interests. That is part of
our idiosyncrasy and is what makes us who we are.
Tolerance is the secret to the coexistence of
peoples. Nuclear tests make us all nervous, and living
in a state of alert only serves to increase tensions
between nations whose relations are already less than
stable. That is why we live in constant fear and
mistrust, which has a significant impact on dialogue
between us.
In Panama, we respect the use of science as a tool
for human development, but we reject its use as a front
to conceal nuclear proliferation and the production of
weapons of mass destruction.
A challenge to global peace and security lies in
the war on drug trafficking, money-laundering and
arms trafficking. Because it is a crossroads, Panama is
used by organized crime for drugs and arms trafficking.
But we are declaring our own war. We have become an
active partner with Mexico and Colombia in the battle
against narco-terrorists. Alongside President Uribe and
President Calderón, we are committed to strengthening
the ties of cooperation, so that Panama can be an active
source of intelligence.
The many efforts and improvements that Panama
has achieved in this field have been recognized in
reports by the Financial Action Task Force on Money
Laundering and the International Monetary Fund.
Panama has information exchange agreements with
39 countries to combat money-laundering and the
financing of illicit activities.
Drugs are not good business. Those who dedicate
themselves to them are destined to jail or the cemetery.
They have no future.
Mr. Nasheed (Maldives), Vice-President, took the
Chair.
Everyone knows Panama as a banking centre, as a
place to do business, and because of our canal. But in
fact, we are nature’s best-kept secret in the world.
Tourism is our new passion. Panama City has the
highest concentration of migratory birds on the planet.
We are the hub for America’s flying species. The Gulf
of Chiriquí has the greatest biodiversity of any spot in
the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Forty percent of our
national territory is protected. This includes over
1.5 million hectares of uninterrupted forests between
Chagres and Darién.
Our national parks have been declared biosphere
reserves and world heritage sites, as has the island of
Coiba, a natural jewel where they are still discovering
new species and where whales from the Arctic and
Antarctic meet to give birth to their calves.
Over 1,000 islands and coral reefs beautify our
seas, and we are framed by over 2,500 kilometres of
coastline, many of them as pristine and untouched as
when Christopher Columbus first arrived in the
Americas.
But the very best resource we have is our people.
We are a multiethnic and friendly people. Our
indigenous peoples of the comarcas are an example of
resistance to mistreatment at the hands of nature and
cultural assimilation.
All the countries represented in this Hall have
their own wonders that the entire world admires. We
must unite to protect and conserve our beauty,
resources, biodiversity, world heritage and, first and
foremost, our peoples.
I am an eternal optimist. I see my country,
Panama, providing more jobs for its men and women. I
see a middle class that keeps growing and earning
more. I see new technologies spawning unprecedented
economic growth. I see the first country in the world
with free internet access for all its citizens.
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I see Panama with better health care, better
education, better transportation, and with families that
are happier and more unified. We Panamanians can do
anything we dream of. And if each and every one of us
achieves our dreams, we will have a better world.
In the five years ahead of us, we are going to
dream big. Our best days are yet to come.
If I had to describe Panama in just a few words, I
would say we are a country and a people full of
surprises. Panama will amaze you, and Panama will
amaze the world.