Panama Hopeful US Will Finally Clean Up Chemical Weapons Left From WWII

Panama and the United States are locked in a dispute over unexploded chemical weapons US soldiers left on an island of the Central American country over 60 years ago, now in the way of a major canal expansion project.

Panamanian officials say they are growing more optimistic that its campaign to compel the US to retrieve its own weapons will be recognized by the Barack Obama administration despite disagreements in the past, McClatchy reported.

The new expectations from Panama come as the US has pressured Syria to eradicate its chemical munitions in the wake of what the superpower alleges was a sarin attack carried out by the Assad regime on civilians near Damascus on Aug. 21.

Yet the Obama administration itself is less clear on any agreement to clean up thousands of pounds of bombs on San Jose Island, 60 miles southeast from Panama City in the Pacific Ocean.