Panama to Trump: Canal's sovereignty 'non-negotiable'
Panama has reiterated that its sovereignty over the Panama Canal is "non-negotiable" after incoming US president Donald Trump ramped up threats to use military action to capture the waterway.
Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire for the US to acquire the Panama Canal, refused to rule out using military or economic force to take over the Canal during a press conference on Tuesday.
Panama's Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha said on Wednesday that President Jose Raul Mulino had made his stance clear on the issue.
“The sovereignty of our canal is not negotiable and is part of our history of struggle and an irreversible conquest.”
He also denied that his country had received any kind of offer from Trump.
"Trump's opinions today that he has talked about a certain amount of money are not true. No kind of offer has been received, let it be clear,” Martínez-Acha said.
The Panama Canal was managed by the US for decades but under a treaty signed by the late US president Jimmy Carter in 1977, it was handed over to the Panamanians on December 31, 1999.
Trump described Carter's decision to hand the Canal back to Panama as "a big mistake.”
President Mulino has not yet reacted directly to Trump's latest remarks. But at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the handover of the Canal to Panama on December 31, he told attendees to "rest assured, it will stay in our control forever.”
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