Panama, 2009

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.