U.S. President-elect Donald Trump sparked Sunday a pointy rebuke from Panama’s president after threatening to reclaim management of the strategic Panama Canal.
Trump, in a submit on his Truth Social community, claimed former president Jimmy Carter “foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar” after being constructed “at HUGE cost to the United States in lives and treasure.”
He stated Panama was charging the U.S. “exorbitant prices and rates of passage” and that granting Panama sovereignty over the canal was “not given for the benefit of others but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama.”
“This complete ‘rip-off’ of our Country will immediately stop,” the soon-to-be president wrote. If it would not, “then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question.”
Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino instantly rejected Trump’s statements – with out naming the president-elect by identify – in a video assertion.
“Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to Panama and will continue to do so,” stated Mulino. “The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.”
The canal connects the Atlantic with the Pacific and is likely one of the world’s most essential commerce routes. In the early twentieth century, the U.S. carried out the development of the foremost challenge and managed the world for many years after that. Control was then progressively transferred to Panama.
The charges charged by Panama are thought-about normal market charges, as they’re primarily based on the scale and tonnage of the passing ships. There aren’t any provisions that – as Trump calls for – grant the U.S. preferential therapy solely as a consequence of their historic position as builder.
“The fees are not arbitrary,” emphasised Mulino. “They are set in a public manner and in a public hearing.”
During his first time period, Trump certainly as soon as significantly courted the territory of one other nation. In the summer time of 2019, he proposed to purchase Greenland and annex it to the U.S.
The response from Denmark, to which the world’s largest island is politically related, was clear: No, thanks.
Source: www.dailysabah.com