The president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, reiterated this Saturday that the Panama Canal Neutrality Treaty regulates the costs for the passage of all ships and there is no “agreement” that says otherwise, a message that he sent after his American counterpart, Donald Trump, requested once again to pass free through the interoceanic path.
“The Neutrality Treaty, the Organic Law of the Panama Canal regulate the transits and costs of these, of all ships, by our channel. There is no agreement to the contrary. The agreed cooperation corresponds to the ACP (Panama Canal Authority) to establish it with adherence to the rules before, “said Mulino in X.
The announcement of the Panamanian president occurred after Trump affirmed in his network, Truth Social, who “American ships, both military and commercial, should be able to sail for free for the channels of Panama and Suez. These channels would not exist without the United States of America. “
Trump added among exclamations that he has asked the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who He immediately occupies this situation.
The Republican leader has reiterated on numerous occasions his intention that The United States regains control of the Panama Canal.
In recent months, Trump has argued that Presence of a Hongkonese operator In two of the five ports located around the Panama Canal, they are a Chinese control of the road, so it has expressed its intention to recover it for the US, which built it in the last century and He administered it for more than 80 years, until its transfer to Panama 25 years ago.
On April 8, however, in a declaration of both countries, the US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegesh, acknowledged Leadership and inalienable sovereignty of Panama on the channel and its adjacent areas.
In that joint statement, Panama and the US also established that they will work to identify “a Mechanism to compensate for tolls and charges “made by American warships for crossing the navigable step, one of the complaints of the Republican leader.
In mid -March, the Federal Maritime Commission of the United States (FMC, in English) Investigations began in seven maritime commerce pointsamong them the channels of Panama and Suez, to detect possible “unfavorable conditions” for maritime transport in foreign trade.
Trump not only pretends that US ships would cross without paying the Panama Canal and has also alluded to that of Suez: “American ships, both military and commercial, should be able to navigate free of charge through the channels of Panama and Suez. These channels would not exist without the United States of America, “Trump said in his social network, Truth Social.
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