Cuba-Mexico deteriorating relations-Why?
Adrian Boutureira
CIS-DC Zapatistas
Brief analysis
of the recent developments involving the unilateral decision by
In a press conference held today
in Havana, Cuba's Foreign minister Felipe Roque
pointed out that in the recent statements made by Mexico's Secretary of
Government, Santiago Creel, he failed to identify or mention any specific
evidence to prove the accusations made by the Mexican government against Cuban
diplomats of "intervention" into Mexico's internal affairs and
"clandestine meetings" with members of the opposition. These were the
reasons presented by Creel as to why
What led to this extraordinary press conference by Roque and the unprecedented diplomatic crisis between these two historically friendly nations?
A bit of recent history...
On April 15th, the Mexican
government of Vicente Fox casts a decisive vote (a vote that was known in
Washington before it was even submitted in Geneva!!!) against Cuba in the
United Nations Human Rights Commission supporting a US sponsored resolution
condemning Cuba's human rights record (pertaining mainly to last year's crack
down on the so called "dissidents"). During his May 1st celebration
speech in
Enter the excuse for Fox to
further deteriorate Mexico-Cuba relations: Carlos Ahumada
Kurtz, an Argentine businessman who was wanted by Interpol for fraud and money
laundering in
It would seem that officials in
Vicente Fox's party (PAN) have found themselves involved up to their necks in a
corruption scandal concerning the "timely" manipulation of videos and
information about electoral corruption and money laundering by the main
opposition party. Carlos Ahumada made these
statements involving Fox's administration while in detention in
Mexico's ruling party has turned Cuba's unilateral extradition of Ahumada (Cuba extradited Ahumada under Interpol law after waiting in vain for a month for the Mexican authorities to request it themselves) and their making public some of his statements about the case implicating the ruling Mexican party in criminal acts, into an act of intervention by Cuba in the internal affairs of Mexico as retaliation for its vote "of conscience" at the UNHRC.
In doing this, Fox aims to kill two birds with one shot:
1. To make it easy for his government to not oppose US policies against Cuba by presenting Cuba to the Mexican people as an "enemy state" just as the US gears to launch a new wave of aggressive policies towards that nation* and in anticipation of the US elections this November.
2. To
shifts attention from his party's involvement in a truly scandalous national
affair and complete failure to outroot corruption and
economic strife, by creating an international intrigue of fabricated Cuban
intervention in the affairs of
Meanwhile, the Mexican People
have taken to the streets in large numbers over the last few days to express
their opposition to Fox's policies towards
Please write to
the Mexican embassy and tell them what you think of Fox and his
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* A 500-page report that
President Bush is expected to release Thursday, calls for creating a top-level