Wikileaks exposures covered by smiles and handshakes
(Newsroompanama.com) Four days after the Wikileaks revelations of President Ricardo Martinelli and Vice-president Juan Carlos Varela criticisms of the Panama Canal expansion. all was smiles and unanimity.
Martinelli, Minister for Canal Affairs Romulo Roux, and Canal administrator Alberto Aleman Zubieta, Wednesday (December 22) hosted a tour of various points of the project, and Martinelli said the Government supports the $5.25 billion expansion
Martinelli statements come after last weekend’s revelation of confidential cables sent to Washington by former U.S. Ambassador to Panama Barbara Stephenson. The messages said Martinelli and Varela, criticized the Canal expansion in meetings with officials and U.S. congressmen and included statements like “The Canal expansion is a disaster” from Varela and suspicions that Aleman Zubieta had influenced the awarding of the initial contracts to a consortium involving a relative.
"We are here to give a boost to the work done so far by theCanal Administrator and his team. This is a work that will benefit the country and the rest of the world and so we support it, "said Martinelli.
Aleman Zubieta said that the early months of 2011 should see the start of pouring concrete for the new locks.
Aleman Zubieta said that to date the expansion had utilized some 10,000 on various projects, and is expected to employ another 7,000 2012 during the peak period of construction of the new locks.
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Original Source: Newsroompanama.com
Date Retrieved: December 22, 2010.
