The president of Panama assures that he is not afraid of an invasion by American troops. Jose Raul Mulino stressed that the transfer of control of the canal “was neither a concession nor a gift from the United States” and assured that the canal “belongs and will belong to Panama.”
– Let's be serious – Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino replied on Wednesday when asked whether he was afraid of an army invasion USA after the president's speech Donald Trump threat to “take back” the Panama Canal.
Panama's president refused to answer further questions after delivering a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
President of Panama Jose Raul Mulino MICHAEL BUHOLZER/PAP/EPA
In his inaugural speech on Monday, Trump expressed claims to the Panama Canal, announcing it would be “taken away” and calling the transfer of sovereignty over it to Panama a “stupid gift.”
Trump has not said when or how he plans to take control of the canal, whose sovereignty is held by Panama, a U.S. ally. He had previously not ruled out the use of military force, drawing criticism from both US friends and opponents in Latin America.
The US president also again accused Panama of breaking promises made before taking over the canal, overcharging American ships and allowing them to control it. China. The government of Panama has strongly rejected these accusations.
Shea: Trump is a master of causing anxiety
In Davos, Mulino reiterated that his government “totally rejects everything Mr. Trump has said, firstly, because it is not true, and secondly, because the Panama Canal belongs and will belong to Panama.” He stressed that handing over control of the canal “was neither a concession nor a gift from the United States.”
Traffic jam at the Panama CanalPAP/EPA/Bienvenido Velasco
Former high-ranking Headquarters official NATO Dr. Jamie Shea said this week that Trump wants to “scare Panama into making concessions,” such as granting preferential transit tariffs to American ships and US Navy vessels, withdrawing Chinese investments or revising the 1977 agreement to make the US a co-owner of the canal.
– Trump is a master of creating anxiety and uncertainty to obtain concessions before the US takes any concrete action. I can't imagine American soldiers being parachuted into the Panama Canal area, Shea added.
The Panama Canal, just over 80 km long, connects the Pacific with the Atlantic. Completed in the second decade of the 20th century, the crossing was mostly built by Americans, who later controlled the canal and surrounding areas for decades. In 1999, under an agreement concluded 22 years earlier, Panama took over control of the canal.
Main photo source: MICHAEL BUHOLZER/PAP/EPA