Cuba, Panama Re-establish Relations

PANAMA CITY (EFE) – Threemonths after breaking diplomatic relationswith Panama, the Cuban government thisweek reopened its Panamanian consulatein Panama City.The Panamanian government respondedby announcing that it too would reopenits consulate in Havana next Monday.The Caribbean island nation broke offdiplomatic relations with Panama on Aug.26, the day after Panama’s then-PresidentMireya Moscoso (1999-2004) pardonedfour Cubans accused of conspiring toassassinate Cuban president Fidel Castroat the 10th Latin American-IberianSummit held in Panama in 2000 (TT,Nov. 24, 2000). Among the four pardonedmen was convicted terrorist Luis PosadaCarriles (TT, Sept. 3).Panama’s Public Ministry is currentlyinvestigating three former officials ofthe Moscoso government for allegedabuse of authority for having freed thefour inmates and permitting them toleave the country, supposedly withoutfollowing the proper administrative andjudicial procedures.A video from Panamanian securityshown local television last week showedPosada Carriles left alone in an aircraft toHonduras, before skipping that countryand disappearing. The other three menfled to Miami.