LEADERS WAVE FROM LOCK HOUSE DURING PANAMA CANAL TRANSFER CEREMONY, 1999-12-14 (photo)

Leaders, (L-R) Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, King Juan Carlos of Spain, ex-U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso, Colombian President Andres Pastrana, and Bolivian President Hugo Banzer, wave from the locks house during transfer ceremony for the Panama Canal at the Miraflores locks December 14. Leaders and dignitaries are today attending the protocol ceremony for the transfer of the Panama Canal from the U.S. to Panama. The vital 51 mile long waterway linking the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, was administered by the U.S. since it was opened in 1914, and will be officially transferred to Panama at midday on December 31 this year. AW/BM