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Global Forces Train To Prevent Panama Canal Attack
Thu Aug 24, 8:52 PM ET

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Eighteen nations are preparing for a weeklong series of maneuvers off Panama's coast designed to safeguard the country's famous canal from terror attacks, a U.S. military chief said on Thursday.

"All nations of the Western Hemisphere have a vested interest in safeguarding this vital waterway," said Cmdr. Bruce Erickson of the U.S. Southern Command in Panama City on the eve of the official start to "Panamax 2006," an annual event sponsored by the United States since 2003.

The Southern Command is responsible for U.S. military activities in most of Latin America and the Caribbean.

"Global threats have emerged in the 20th century that affect all nations and that have a transnational impact, so a coordinated approach is required to effectively neutralize those threats," Erickson told Reuters.

During last year's exercises, three members of Panama's National Maritime Service drowned when they became entangled in submerged weeds while carrying heavy packs and weapons.

The Panama Canal is a vital strategic waterway that carries 4 percent of world trade.

It runs across the slender isthmus of Panama and connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, saving shippers weeks of costly steaming around the tip of Latin America.

This year, Panama's government has proposed an expansion of the waterway as many shippers deem it too small for bigger, modern vessels. The $5.25 billion project will be voted on in a national referendum on October 22.

The countries taking part in the exercises are Argentina, Brazil, Britain, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the United States and Uruguay.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060825/wl_nm/panama_canal_dc