Panama firmly rejects US claims on canal control
"I cannot negotiate, let alone start a negotiation process regarding the Canal," stated Panama's President, Jose Raul Mulino, on Thursday, just before the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. "It's settled. The canal belongs to Panama," he declared.
During a meeting with media representatives, President Mulino categorically ruled out any talks about changing the status of the waterway that connects the Atlantic with the Pacific. Mulino referred to the repeatedly raised need for a reassessment of the management of the canal by the new U.S. administration.
In response to Secretary of State Marco Rubio's upcoming visit to Panama, Mulino reiterated, "I cannot negotiate, let alone start a negotiation process on this matter." He added firmly, "It's settled. The canal belongs to Panama."
"We have other matters to discuss"
During his election campaign, U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly raised the need to change the management of the Panama Canal, accusing Panamanian authorities of handing over control to China. He even claimed that China has its soldiers there. Mulino firmly denied these accusations, emphasizing that the administration of the canal has always been in Panama's hands.
The Panamanian leader also noted that he had received "no information from the U.S. embassy in Panama, nor from the Secretary of State about any military presence of another country in the Canal."
Mulino stated that Panama has many other issues to discuss with Rubio, such as migration and drug trafficking.
