Mexico Recalls Ambassador From Cuba

The Las Vegas Sun ^ | May 02, 2004 at 18:56:20 PDT | ASSOCIATED PRESS

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico recalled its ambassador from Cuba and will expel Cuba's ambassador after officials concluded the communist-run government interfered in Mexico internal affairs, Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez announced Sunday.

The diplomatic furor came as relations soured over Mexico's supporting a U.N. rebuke of Cuba's human rights record. A day earlier, in his annual May Day speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro denounced Mexico over the vote and said it had lost the ability to act independently.

Derbez said the respective ambassadors have 48 hours to leave their posts. The decision stops short of severing diplomatic ties but reduces contacts to the level of business attache.

President Vicente Fox took action after officials discovered that Cuban Communist party members entered Mexico on diplomatic passports and held a "political reunion" with others without going through diplomatic channels, Interior Secretary Santiago Creel said. He did not say with whom the officials met.

The decision also came amid an ongoing political scandal between the two countries, after a Mexican businessman was videotaped passing large wads of cash to elected Cuban officials.

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[Fedora]

Has this ever happened before?--trying to gauge how significant it is.

[NutCrackerBoy]

A Mexican businessman was videotaped passing large wads of cash to elected Cuban officials. -Associated Press

That's a big surprise. Corruption in Mexico? Corruption under Communism? Say it ain't so!

[DoughtyOne]

Imagine, poor little Mexico getting upset because one nation interfered in another's internal matters. I am deeply saddened.

[Drango]

Has this ever happened before?--trying to gauge how significant it is.

Recalling an ambassador is relatively rare in the international political theater. It's the strongest signal before breaking diplomatic relations. Significant? Who knows....

[Fedora]

I know it'd usually be a big diplomatic statement, I'm just wondering if that holds between Mexico and Cuba specifically. I think they've had periodic diplomatic spats, but I don't remember the details.

[Eldedomuerto]

The leftists in the Mexican government have been cozying up to Castro for the last four decades. But hey, they knew he was a snake when they picked him up. Serves 'em right. To be honest, I'm surprised that they'd so overtly object to his subversive games.

[witnesstothefall]

large wads of cash to elected Cuban officials

Great punch line buried in the last sentence. Cuba doesn't have elected officials, it has selected Communists. Those crazy journalists!

[FITZ]

The decision also came amid an ongoing political scandal between the two countries, after a Mexican businessman was videotaped passing large wads of cash to elected Cuban officials.

I wonder what kind of business? Mexico gets most of it's income from the USA --- so how much dollars leave the USA and end up in Cuba?

[livius]

This is certainly interesting! I missed it yesterday, am looking for more info now.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I thought it was interesting, but some problems with the report. Elected Cubans?