Posted on 04/25/2002 4:44:59 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
"President Fox has a lot of things to do. He cannot spend four hours everyday talking, as Castro does," Foreign Secretary Jorge Castaneda told the radio news program Monitor in an acid reference to the Cuban leader's volubility.
"Fortunately for Mexico, we have elections here. We have alternating power here and Mexicans here, I believe, do not want a president who remains in power for 43 years. We have already had that - he was named Porfirio Diaz - and because of that we kicked him out."
Interior Secretary Santiago Creel referred to Castro as a "dictator" whose "word is no good.... who has no dignity" in an interview with TV Azteca.
HAVANA - Even with his long years navigating in turbulent political waters, President Fidel Castro on Wednesday encountered his rockiest relationship ever with Mexico, along with a new break in relations with Uruguay.
Both diplomatic crises are rooted in last week's vote at the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva, when those two countries joined a majority of Latin American nations on the island in a vote targeting Cuba's rights record.
It was the first time Mexico joined the vote. A historical ally of Cuba, Mexico in the past had always abstained.
Uruguay presented the proposal, inviting Cuba to improve civil and political rights and allow a U.N. representative visit the island and help it comply with the resolution - a suggestion Havana has roundly rejected.
Uruguay on Wednesday formally broke the diplomatic ties, after complaining about a string of insults by Cuban authorities.
For the second night in a row, Castro on Tuesday spoke at length on state television, criticizing Mexico's vote, calling Uruguay President Jorge Batlle a "lackey" and assuring his listeners that Cuba was a "moral giant."
Salvadoran President Francisco Flores jumped into the diplomatic fracas on Wednesday, criticizing Castro for publicly airing a recording of a private conversation he had with Mexican President Vicente Fox. Flores said El Salvador, which broke relations with Cuba shortly after the 1959 revolution, would not restore them as long as Castro remained in power.
Mexican Ambassador Ricardo Pascoe, based in Havana, said he did not think Cuba-Mexico relations were on the brink of being severed. Plans are still on to celebrate the 100th anniversary of relations between the two countries next month, he said
Acknowledging that the relationship had been damaged, Pascoe said it was necessary to "restore distinct channels of communication."
Castro on Monday aired the recording of his phone conversation with Fox, saying it proved the Mexican president wanted to limit his time at a U.N. poverty conference in the northern city of Monterrey last month to prevent him from running into U.S. President George W. Bush.
Fox himself has avoided direct reference to the current flap, but his Cabinet ministers have had plenty to say.
"President Fox has a lot of things to do. He cannot spend four hours everyday talking, as Castro does," Foreign Secretary Jorge Castaneda told the radio news program Monitor in an acid reference to the Cuban leader's volubility.
Castaneda also made a barbed concession to Castro's greater experience. Castro on Tuesday said that the former governor of Mexico's Guanajuato state was a "decent" person, but lacked political experience.
"Fortunately for Mexico, we have elections here. We have alternating power here and Mexicans here, I believe, do not want a president who remains in power for 43 years. We have already had that - he was named Porfirio Diaz - and because of that we kicked him out."
Interior Secretary Santiago Creel referred to Castro as a "dictator" whose "word is no good.... who has no dignity" in an interview with TV Azteca.
Badda-BING !!
Now all we have to do is tell Jimmy Carter.
They can hold hands and cry together.
All this happening just when Jimmy Carter is going to Cuba to study their wonderful socialized health care system.
Bush to Be Tough on U.S. Aid During LatAm Trip*** During his talks with world leaders at the conference, Bush will promote his initiative to help poor nations that respect human rights, root out corruption, open their markets, and have education and health care systems. "I'm going to be tough about it," Bush told a group of regional reporters Tuesday in a preview of his trip. "I'm not interested in funding corruption."***
Good point but Cubans aren't Castro's pets, they're his slaves.
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