米国務省、政府艦船の運河無料通航を発表 パナマ側は否定

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米国務省は５日、政府の艦船がパナマ運河を無料で航行できるようになると発表した。一方、パナマ運河庁は、料金に関する調整は行っていないとする声明を出し、米国側の発表を否定した。（写真はパナマ運河に太平洋側から入る貨物船。パナマ市で）
　国務省はＸ（旧ツイッター）に、「米政府の艦船は今後、パナマ運河を通過する際に料金を支払う必要がなくなり、政府は年間数百万ドルを節約できる」と投稿した。
　マルコ・ルビオ国務長官は２日にパナマを訪問し、ホセ・ラウル・ムリノ大統領と会談。その際、同国側が譲歩を申し出たと語っていたが、その具体的な中身が初めて示されたことになる。長官は、米国が要衝の水路を防衛する立場にありながら、その使用料を支払うのは不公平だとパナマ側に伝えたと述べていた。
　これに対しパナマ運河庁は声明で、「運河の通航料などの料金を設定する権限を持つ運河庁は、何の調整も行っていない」とした。
　トランプ氏は昨年１１月の大統領選で勝利して以来、米国のコンテナ輸送の４０％を依存するパナマ運河の管理権奪回に向け、武力行使も辞さない構えを見せている。
　米、パナマ両国は７日の新たな協議で、運河について改めて議論する予定。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/02/06-19:22）

The United States said Wednesday that its government vessels would be allowed to sail for free through the Panama Canal, following heavy pressure from President Donald Trump.
US government vessels can now transit the Panama Canal without charge fees, saving the US government millions of dollars a year, the State Department said in a post on social media platform X.
It was the first public announcement of promises hinted at by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said that Panama offered concessions during his talks on Sunday.
Rubio said he had told Panama that it was unfair for the United States to be in a position to defend the vital waterway and also to be charged for its use.
Since winning the November US election, Trump has refused to rule out the use of force to seize the canal, through which 40 percent of US container traffic passes.
Trump and Rubio have complained about Chinese investment -- including ports on both sides of the canal -- and warned that Beijing could close the waterway to the United States in a crisis.
Panama has forcefully denied Trump's repeated allegations that China has been given a role in operating the canal.
But it has also moved to address US concerns. President Jose Raul Mulino after his talks with Rubio said that Panama would not renew membership in the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing's signature infrastructure-building program.
Rubio told reporters on Monday that his talks with Mulino were respectful and that the visit was going to achieve potentially good things that assuage concerns we have.
Trump, however, said that he was still not happy, although he acknowledged that Panama had agreed to certain things.
The United States and Panama are scheduled to hold new talks on Friday to discuss the canal.
Trump in his inaugural address said the United States would be taking back the canal -- built more than a century ago by Washington with Afro-Caribbean labor and handed back to Panama at the end of 1999.