Torrijos-Carter Treaties

The Torrijos-Carter Treaties were two agreements signed by the United States and Panama on September 7, 1977, which guaranteed that Panama would gain control of the Panama Canal after 1999. The treaties superseded the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty of 1903, ending the United States' control of the canal since 1903. The Neutrality Treaty allowed the US to retain the permanent right to defend the canal, while the Panama Canal Treaty provided that Panama would assume full control of canal operations and defense on December 31, 1999. The agreements came after years of Panamanian efforts to renegotiate the original treaty, which had been ongoing since 1903, and followed a series of events including a 1964 riot in which 20 Panamanians were killed and 500 were injured by US troops.learn more on wikipedia