US Secretary of State Marco Rubio entered talks Sunday with Panama’s leader to press President Donald Trump’s demand that the United States take back control of the Panama Canal.
Trump has refused to back down on threats to seize the vital waterway and it remains unclear what Rubio can achieve diplomatically that would please him, with Panama firmly rejecting any claims against its sovereignty.
Rubio, in his first meeting abroad as the top US diplomat, walked past an honor guard outside the whitewashed walls of President Jose Raul Mulino’s official residence in the tropical capital’s old quarter.
Rubio shook hands with Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha and flashed a thumbs-up sign before heading into talks with Mulino. They made no immediate comments to the press.
Rubio later in the day will tour the Panama Canal, the crucial link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through…
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