Panama Envoy Back in U.S. for Talks

U.S. Ambassador Arthur Davis, accused by Panama of meddling in its affairs, has returned to the United States for a vacation and consultations with the State Department, an embassy spokesman said Saturday.

Davis has been involved in a dispute between Panama’s military-backed government and its vice president, Roderick L. Esquivel, whose staff was fired and his offices closed while he was attending a conference in Nicaragua. Davis met Esquivel at the airport on his return from Nicaragua, prompting charges that he was interfering in Panamanian politics.