Panama warns UN over Trump’s inauguration speech

Panama sent an official letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the UN Security Council on Monday, rejecting the comments made by President Trump about the reopening of the Panama Canal during the his inaugural address.

“We didn’t give it to China,” Mr Trump said after the swearing-in. “We gave it to Panama, and we’re giving it back.”

The letter, dated January 20 and seen by The New York Times, included a statement by President José Raúl Mulino of Panama saying that on behalf of his country and its people, “We must refuse to President Donald Trump’s remarks about Panama and the canal in his inauguration speech.

Mr. Mulino said, “the canal was and will always be for Panama.”

The letter cited two articles in the UN charter that prohibit member states from using threats and force against “territorial integrity or political independence”, calling such actions incompatible with the purpose of the United Nations, and says that Mr. Trump’s announcement violated the UN. Status.

Panama has not asked the Security Council to convene a meeting on the issue, but diplomats said that if tensions between the United States and Panama continue, the Council could convene a meeting.

The United States is one of the five permanent veto-wielding members of the council.

Since late last year, Mr. Trump has repeatedly targeted Panama, falsely saying that Panama has ceded control of the canal to China and that the United States must reset its strategic path. .

These claims have been repeatedly denied by President Mulino, who said, after Mr. Trump introduced the canal in a speech in late December, that “every square meter of the Panama Canal and the neighboring areas are part of Panama, and it will come. it goes on and on.”

He added at the time, “Our sovereignty and independence are non-negotiable.”

The canal was built by the United States in the early 20th century, but after protracted negotiations in the late 1970s, the United States agreed to give full jurisdiction to Panama in 1999. Since then, Panama has controlled the waterway through the Panama Canal Authority. , which completed the expansion of the canal in 2016 to accommodate larger cargo ships.

Mr. Trump did not back down from his demands. This month, in a lengthy speech at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, he ruled out using military force to retake the canal. “You may have to do something,” Mr. Trump said.

The announcement has troubled Panamanians, many of whom do not recall a period when the United States controlled the canal and the surrounding area, known as the Canal Zone, but also recall a time when the U.S. military invaded of Panama in 1989 to overthrow the autocratic regime of Manuel Noriega. .

“This is not an attack to colonize or take territory,” said Raúl Arias de Para, an environmental entrepreneur and descendant of one of Panama’s founders. “It freed us from a brutal dictatorship.”

On Monday, Mr. Mulino quickly issued a statement criticizing the incoming US president for his speech.

“Continued dialogue is the way to clarify the said points that do not threaten our rights, the total sovereignty and our ownership of our water canal,” said Mr. Mulino in his statement, which was published in X on Monday afternoon.

However, last Monday, the Panamanian comptroller’s office announced that auditors visited the district’s maritime authorities to audit the Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of Hutchison Ports Holding. The company is a major port operator and owner of major ports in the country. It is part of CK Hutchison Holdings, a Hong Kong corporation.

“The purpose of this comprehensive audit is to ensure the efficient and transparent use of national resources,” said the auditor’s office.

Mr Trump’s comments during his inaugural address appeared to mark an escalation of tensions with Mr Mulino, who since taking office last year has consistently signaled his willingness to help the US curb immigration. to the US border.

In the Darién Gap, the number of migrants dropped significantly last year, after Panama imposed strict restrictions to complement the new asylum policy of the Biden administration. In August 2023, 80,000 migrants passed through in one month. In December, Panamanian authorities reported that fewer than 5,000 people had passed through.

Emiliano Rodríguez Mega contributed reports from Mexico City and Julie Turkewitz from Bogotá.