Panama president says he will not renegotiate security deal with US, despite protests

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PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama President José Raúl Mulino said Thursday that he will not renegotiate an agreement with the United States to give U.S. troops access to Panamanian facilities, despite protests charging that he compromised the country’s sovereignty.

On Tuesday, thousands of Panamanians marched in the capital in the largest protest yet against an agreement signed during last month’s visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The U.S. embassy followed with a statement Wednesday saying that the agreement did not allow for establishing military bases in Panama. A U.S. military presence in Panama is sensitive, since people still remember the U.S. invasion in 1989 and U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested that the U.S. take back control of the Panama Canal.

“Panama’s sovereignty is not at stake, it’s not handed over, it’s not given,” Mulino said during his weekly press conference. He insisted the agreement would not lead to U.S. bases in Panama.

Later Thursday, the new U.S. ambassador to Panama, Kevin Marino Carbera, said in a news conference that “the memorandum (of understanding) is going to strengthen our cooperation against drug trafficking and protect the (Panama) canal and we know that's the responsibility of both countries according to the (canal) treaty.”

The locations where U.S. troops and contractors will have access will always remain under the control of Panama and it can terminate the agreement with six months notice, the Panamanian government has said.

Protests during recent weeks have closed streets and drawn thousands.

Mulino said they were the result of political interests.

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