US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a “frank and respectful conversation” with Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on Sunday, the top US diplomat said. The talks came after US President Donald Trump renewed his threat to seize control of the Panama Canal, reports UNN citing CNN.
“As the president put it, when we handed over the canal, we handed it over to Panama. We did not hand it over to China,” Rubio said in El Salvador on Monday.
“We have a contractual obligation to defend the canal if it is attacked, but our navy pays tolls to pass through it,” he said. “So I expressed disappointment about those things.
“I think it was a good visit,” he said, but acknowledged that ”this is a sensitive issue for Panama.
“We don't want to have a hostile or negative relationship with Panama,” Rubio said.
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On Sunday, Trump repeated his vow to “take back” the Panama Canal, warning of “powerful” U.S. action in the wake of an escalating diplomatic dispute with the Central American country over China's presence around the vital waterway.