Panama’s President Slams U.S. ‘Lies and Falsehoods’ About Canal

By Elida Moreno

PANAMA CITY, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Panama President Jose Raul Mulino said on Thursday the U.S. was spreading “lies and falsehoods” after the State Department claimed U.S. government vessels would be able to pass through the Panama Canal without paying.

The comments were likely to exacerbate tensions between the two countries after the U.S. had cited progress on military cooperation and confronting alleged Chinese influence over the canal.

Later, Mulino added on social media that he would speak to U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday afternoon.

Panama has been in the White House’s crosshairs since Trump claimed the country’s vital waterway had effectively been taken over by China and vowed the U.S. was “taking it back.”

Speaking to journalists, Mulino expressed his “absolute rejection” that the two countries’ relations be “based on lies and falsehoods.”

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