WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that US military and commercial ships should be allowed free transit through the Panama and Suez Canals because "these canals would not exist without the United States of America."
"I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take immediate action on this situation," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The Panama Canal crosses the narrowest part of the isthmus between North and South America, allowing ships to move more quickly between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
It carries about 40 percent of US container traffic each year.
The US completed construction of the canal in the early 20th century, but in 1999 ceded control of the strategically important waterway to Panama.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to "take back" the canal.
Before taking office in January, he told reporters that he would not rule out the use of economic or military force to regain control of the canal.
