WASHINGTON: Panama's President Ricardo Martinelli will meet with US President Barack Obama, the White House announced Monday.
The presidents will meet at the White House on April 28, 2011, a spokesman for Obama said. It will be the first meeting between the two, and comes as their countries are trying to reach a final deal on a free-trade pact.
"The Presidents will discuss next steps with regard to the US-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement as well as progress on the Central America Citizen Security Partnership President Obama announced during his recent trip to Latin America," the White House said in a brief announcement.
The meeting was to be held just three weeks after an Oval Office visit by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, in which Santos and Obama approved a plan to boost labor rights that is expected to pave the way for ratification of a US-Colombia free trade agreement.
Last month, Republicans in the Senate threatened to block the nomination of a new Secretary of Commerce until Obama sent the Colombian and Panamanian accords to the Senate for ratification. Obama has nominated the current Commerce Secretary, Gary Locke, to be the new US ambassador to China.
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