Panama’s president said on Thursday that he will not hold any negotiations about ownership of the Panama Canal, following President Donald Trump’s suggestion the United States could take ownership of the waterway again.
In his weekly news conference on Thursday, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said he wanted to clarify confusion about China’s role in the canal and said that Panama controls the canal.
“It’s impossible, I can’t negotiate,” Mulino said when asked about returning the canal to U.S. control. “That is done. The canal belongs to Panama.”
Referring to future dialogues with U.S. officials, he said, “The only thing that I want is to clear all the garbage from the path, clean the table and be able to speak with the United States and very frankly” about issues including illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and regional security….