Panama Canal will 'remain' Panamanian: UN maritime chief

The Panama Canal will remain Panamanian, the secretary general of the United Nation's maritime body told AFP on Tuesday, after Donald Trump refused to rule out using military force to seize the key waterway.

"For me it is very clear and it is not a subject of great discussion, because the treaties were signed in 1977. The canal passed into the hands of Panama, which continues to manage this vital waterway, and will continue to do so," said Arsenio Dominguez, head of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

US president-elect Trump, who will return to the White House on January 20, caused shockwaves when asked about the canal last week.

He said he was "not going to commit to that (no military action). It might be that you have to do something."

The United States built, owned and operated the Central American canal until the late US president Jimmy Carter struck a deal in the 1970s to gradually hand over control of the vital transport route to the Panamanian authorities.

Panama responded to Trump's comments by saying the sovereignty of its interoceanic canal was non-negotiable.

"The sovereignty of our canal is not negotiable and is part of our history of struggle," Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha said.

President Jose Raul Mulino has refused to entertain negotiations over its control.

Trump has also ruffled European feathers with similar comments about Greenland.

Denmark -- which Greenland is an autonomous territory of -- is a US ally and a fellow member of NATO, another target of Trump's ire as he demanded that nations in the western alliance boost their defence spending.

In addition to its strategic location, Greenland, which is seeking independence from Denmark, holds massive untapped mineral and oil reserves, although oil and uranium exploration are banned.

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen later said she had reached out to Trump following his remarks, which Denmark said were being taken seriously.

Trump first claimed that he wanted to buy Greenland in 2019 during his first term as president -- an offer swiftly rebuffed by Greenland and Denmark.