Castro-Bush Collision in Monterrey Summit Affects Mexico

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, March 25, 2002

Castro-Bush Collision in Monterrey Summit Affects Mexico

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Differences between U.S. President George W. Bush and the Cuban leader Fidel Castro at the Monterrey Summit have left negative impacts on the bilateral relations between Cuba and Mexico, local press reported on Sunday.

The United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development, which was held in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey from March 18 to 22, produced no concrete results and only "damaged relations between Mexico and Cuba," the renowned local daily La Jornada published an editorial on its front page Sunday.

Mutual repudiation between Castro and Bush became evident when the Cuban President announced last Thursday his "immediate" return to Cuba at the end of a speech he delivered at the world forum.

Bush said in Monterrey that he "felt" uncomfortable with Castro 's presence in Mexico because Cuba is the only country in the American continent whose authorities came into power without an electoral process.

Nevertheless, Mexican Foreign Minister, Jorge Castaneda, ruled out pressure from Washington to force Castro to withdraw from the meeting.

La Jornada said the Mexican embassy in Cuba "will soon be empty " due to the "resignation" or "dismissal" of the Mexican ambassador to Havana, leftist Ricardo Pascoe.

Havana had called his ambassador to Mexico, Jorge Bolanos, for consultations.

"Bilateral relations (between Cuba and Mexico) became tense even more after the summit," read the title of the article in the front page of La Jornada.

According to local politicians, the closer ties in trade and finance between Mexico and the United States made Mexico's relationship with Cuba more difficult. The U.S. imposed a trade embargo on Cuba 40 years ago.

Mexico was the only American country that did not severe diplomatic relations with Cuba, which was excluded from the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1962 due to its ideological differences with Washington.

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