QUESTION:

On this Panama Canal initiative to broaden the canal and a referendum on Sunday, does the United States believe that this would be beneficial to international commerce?

MR. CASEY: Well, the United States believes that this really is a decision for the Panamanian people to make. As you know, we are the single largest user of the canal. We've been very appreciative of the fine efforts that the Panamanians have done in -- over the many years now since the canal came fully into control of the Panamanian people to run it and run it well and effectively. As I understand it, the canal is currently handling more ships both in terms of numbers as well as in terms of gross tonnage that it ever has before. So it's being very well run and very well managed. This is something we certainly want to see continue happen.

But in terms of decisions on how to continue with that and how to move forward, it's really something for the Panamanian people to decide. And we have every confidence that they'll decide this in an appropriate way.

QUESTION: Thank you.

QUESTION: The canal is described as overloaded. We just had a story from Nicaragua that they're dusting off a dream that dates back centuries. Nicaragua wants to build an $18 billion alternative to the increasingly overloaded Panama Canal. Is that up to the Nicaraguans?

MR. CASEY: It certainly is. I don't think the --

QUESTION: I mean everybody has a right to build a canal, right?

MR. CASEY: I think if the Nicaraguans want to do something in Nicaraguan territory of a commercial nature, that's probably up to them.

QUESTION: There was a time they were kept from doing it.

MR. CASEY: Yeah, but it wasn't my time, Barry.

(Laughter.)