Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

Fact-Checking Donald Trump Regarding The Panama Canal


(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama) US President-elect Donald trump has made several claims about the Panama Canal that deserve scrutiny. He talks about fraud, ridiculous tariffs, and that the interoceanic waterway is in the hands of the Chinese. The Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal guarantees that the Canal will remain neutral and open to the transit of all nations, in times of peace and war. This treaty, signed by Panama and the United States, is in force and has been endorsed by more than 40 countries. The Panama Canal constitutes an inalienable heritage of the Panamanian nation, and therefore cannot be sold, transferred, mortgaged, or in any other way encumbered or alienated.


Some thirty former Latin American foreign ministers, led by former Panamanian President Martín Torrijos and supported by more than 200 renowned academics and diplomats, issued a joint statement on Friday in which they reject the aspirations of the US president-elect, Donald Trump, regarding the Panama Canal and his possible intention to revive the Monroe Doctrine, a concept historically associated with the hegemonic control of the United States over Latin America. In a statement released Friday by the Latin American Reflection Roundtable, the former diplomats emphasize that“the fundamental basis of American coexistence has been, is and must be respect for Treaties and International Law.”

They also argue that the Panama Canal has been successfully managed by Panama since 1999, following the implementation of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, and constitutes an example of sovereignty and regional cooperation,“a process that Trump seems to ignore in his recent statements.” The declaration expresses the Latin American community's rejection of any attempt at regional destabilization that violates its sovereignty, particularly at a time when respect for historic treaties is crucial to maintaining peace and cooperation in the Western Hemisphere.

Defense of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties

The document highlights the historical and symbolic value of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, signed in 1977 and complied with by all US administrations to date.“These treaties became the basis for new, respectful and constructive relations on the continent,” the text states. Panama's management of the canal, which has allowed more than 350,000 transits since it took over its administration, has been praised as“safe, efficient and open to all nations of the world with absolute equality and without any discrimination.” The signatories – who include former foreign ministers Enrique Iglesias (Uruguay), José Miguel Insulza (Chile), Sergio Lafer (Brazil), Alan Wagner (Peru), Marta Lucía Ramírez (Colombia) and José Antonio García Belaunde (Peru), among others – emphasize that Trump's statements“ignore this historical reality and distort what has been achieved with the treaties that his own country signed and has so far respected.” They also warn that any attempt to exploit the Panama Canal in a“geopolitical dispute with China” constitutes an act of irresponsibility that violates Panamanian sovereignty and the principles of international law.

Against the return of the Monroe Doctrine

The statement emphasizes that Trump's words and actions echo the Monroe Doctrine – summarized in the phrase“America for the Americans” and presented in 1823 by President James Monroe (1817-1825) before the US Congress – a policy considered interventionist that for centuries justified US interference in the internal affairs of Latin American countries. In the words of the former foreign ministers,“it would be unthinkable and unacceptable for threats and coercion to become new instruments of the United States' foreign policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean.” The signatories point out that reviving this doctrine represents a regression to practices that contravene the diplomatic and sovereign advances achieved in the region. In its statement, the Latin American Roundtable emphasizes that peace and security on the American continent“rest on dialogue, cooperation, understanding and respect for international law.” Therefore, they call on both the United States administration and the international community to respect Panama's sovereignty and to refrain from using the canal as a tool of geopolitical confrontation.


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