A top Panama lawmaker wanted in the United States in the killing of a U.S. soldier said he will not seek re-election as president of his nation's congress, The Associated Press reported.

Pedro Miguel González sent a letter to Panama's president, Martín Torrijos, saying his decision not to seek re-election is intended to limit his role in internal elections for the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party slated for August.

González is wanted in the June 1992 killing of U.S. Army Sgt. Zak Hernández and the attempted killing of Sgt. Ronald Marshall outside Panama City, incidents that coincided with a visit by former President George H.W. Bush two years after the United States toppled dictator Manuel Noriega.

The congressional leader denies any involvement in the incident and was acquitted in a trial in Panama 10 years ago, according to AP.

Meeting yesterday with Torrijos in Washington, President George W. Bush said a free-trade agreement with Panama “is a priority of this government,” adding that he will urge U.S. Congress to vote in favor of the agreement, Agence France-Presse reported.

The Bush administration had previously warned Panama that González's election to the post last year could impede the pending trade deal.