Trump postpones call with Panama’s President Mulino as canal tensions simmer
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The canal is controlled and operated by the Panama Canal Authority.
PHOTO: REUTERS
PANAMA CITY – US President Donald Trump has postponed a phone call with Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino due to last-minute changes in the US leader’s agenda, Panama’s government said on Feb 7, amid tensions over US threats to take over the Panama Canal.
Panama’s foreign office will share details on the new date once it has been coordinated, the government said.
Mr Mulino has accused the US of spreading “lies and falsehoods” after its government claimed its vessels would be able to pass through the Panama Canal without paying.
He has also rejected claims that China controls the canal, a key shipping waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and has soldiers there.
The canal is controlled and operated by the Panama Canal Authority, an autonomous agency overseen by the Panamanian government.
The two leaders had been scheduled to speak at 3.30pm local time in the afternoon of Feb 7.
Following a visit from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mr Mulino said his country would not renew a broad agreement to contribute to China’s signature Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure development plan. REUTERS
