- Title: Panama: Us Army Shuts Down Fort Clayton Military Base In Panama
- Date: 30th November 1999
- Summary: The United States Army shut down the Fort Clayton military base in Panama, formally ending its presence in the Central American nation before the final hand over of the Panama Canal by the end of this year. In a small ceremony on November 30 the United States handed over the Fort Clayton military base in Corozal, Panama to the local government in a final step before handing over the Panama Canal. The Panamanian government plans to convert the base into an ecological site where all citizens can work, study, and enjoy nature. US Army troops first arrived in 1911 with a mission to provide protection for construction of the Panama Canal. Built and operated by the United States, the canal opened in 1914. At the height of World War II, there were as many as 65,000 American troops protecting the vital water link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In subsequent decades, Panama remained an important outpost from which the United States launched military interventions in Grenada, Haiti and even Panama itself. Under growing pressure from Panamanians, the United States agreed in 1977 to hand over control of the canal, and remove its military presence, by the end of 1999. The Southern Command moved out in 1997.
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- Location: REPUBLIC OF PANAMA
- Reuters ID: LDL0012BYMJ73
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
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- Copyright Holder: Reuters Archive
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