Panamanian leader rejects canal criticism

The Panamanian President, Ernesto Perez Balladares, has used his weekly radio address to again reject criticism of people he's naming as members of the body which oversees the Panama Canal.

Opponents of the president have accused him of nepotism after he appointed a number of family members to the the Panama canal authority.

The canal is jointly run by the United States and Panama, but is due to pass into sole Panamanian control at the end of 1999.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service