    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [May 12, 2004]
    [Page 860]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on the Panama-United States Proliferation Security Initiative
    Ship-Boarding Agreement
    May 12, 2004

        The United States welcomes Panama's signing today of a ship-boarding
    agreement that supports the efforts of the Proliferation Security
    Initiative (PSI) to stop the trade in deadly weapons and materials.
        The agreement establishes streamlined procedures for American
    officials to request and board ships registered to Panama if those ships
    are suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction, their delivery
    systems, or related materials. More ships sail under the Panamanian flag
    than that of any other nation. This agreement sends a strong signal to
    proliferators that the free nations of the world are determined to
    protect their people and preserve the peace.
        This is the second bilateral ship-boarding agreement signed to
    support PSI. The United States and the Government of Liberia signed a
    similar agreement on February 11, 2004. Together, Panama and Liberia
    account for roughly 30 percent of the world's commercial shipping
    tonnage. We welcome this historic decision by the Government of Panama.
    And we urge other nations with large commercial shipping registries to
    follow the lead of Panama and Liberia to make a stand against
    proliferation.