Meeting With General Omar Torrijos Herrera of Panama White House Statement Issued Following the Meeting.

President Carter met with General Omar Torrijos Herrera, Chief of Government of Panama, for one hour this morning. The President was accompanied by Vice President Walter Mondale, Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, Assistant for National Security Affairs Zbigniew Brzezinski, Assistant Secretary of State Terence Todman, Ambassador to Panama William Jordan, and NSC Staff Member Robert Pastor. General Torrijos was accompanied by Foreign Minister Nicolas Gonzalez Revilla, Ambassador Gabriel Lewis, Minister of Planning and Economic Policy Nicolas Ardito Barletta, Advisor to the Head of Government Ambassador Rodrigo Gonzales, Aide-deCamp of the Military Household Lieutenant Colonel Armando Beillido, and Aide-de-Camp of the Military Household Lieutenant Colonel Manuel A. Noriega.

President Carter and General Torrijos discussed the importance of the Panama Canal Treaty to the United States and Panama and efforts by both countries to gain widespread and popular acceptance of the treaty. The President noted that the treaty had been concluded without either side being under the pressure of the threat of violence and that the treaty would establish a new era of closer cooperation and friendship between the United States and Panama. The treaty, suggested the President, will be the first step in a series of improvements in the cooperation and friendship between the United States and Panama.

General Torrijos praised President Carter for pursuing the Panama Canal Treaty and said he too hoped the treaty would lead to a new type of relationship that will serve as an example for other Latin American countries.

President Carter said he hoped that the spirit of mutual respect and friendship which had guided the United States and Panama through the canal treaty negotiations will serve as an example to the other countries of the hemisphere as all our countries seek to resolve outstanding problems or disputes.

The two leaders agreed to consult closely on a continuing basis as the treaty moves toward ratification and implementation.