WASHINGTON, March 30 U.S. President George W. Bush said Friday he intended to sign a free-trade agreement with Panama.The deal "will generate export opportunities for U.S. farmers, ranchers and companies, help create jobs in the United States and help American consumers save money while offering them more choices," Bush said in a letter to Congress. "The agreement will also benefit the people of Panama by providing economic opportunity and by strengthening democracy," said Bush. Some congressional Democrats are demanding language be added to the deal to protect U.S. workers from what the lawmakers see as unfair competition from countries with labor laws they consider lax.Bush recently also notified Congress of his intent to sign free-trade deals with Peru and Colombia.Bush sent the Panama letter to meet a 90-day deadline for notifying Congress of pending trade deals before the July 1 deadline, when Bush's "fast-track" authority to negotiate trade agreements is scheduled to expire. Copyright 2007 by UPI
