Mexico, Venezuela chiefs pull ambassadors
Mexico and Venezuela pulled their ambassadors from each other’s capitals Monday after the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez refused to apologize for his remarks belittling Mexican President Vicente Fox.
Chavez, a frequent critic of U.S. foreign policy, last week called Fox “the puppy” of the Bush administration. When the Mexican government announced it would expel the Venezuelan ambassador if the Chavez government did not apologize within 24 hours, Venezuela responded Monday by ordering its ambassador home.
Mexico then recalled its ambassador to Caracas, with Fox saying: “We cannot allow people to offend our country.”
The two countries fell short of breaking off diplomatic ties, leaving room for an eventual compromise. In the meantime, relations will be handled by commercial attaches, officials on both sides said.
More: fortwayne.com
Venezuela, Mexico withdraw ambassadors over spat
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused Mexican leader Vicente Fox of being a “puppy” of President Bush and said: “Don’t mess with me, sir.” Fox shot back on Monday that “we have dignity in this country” and demanded an apology.
Now the two nations are withdrawing their ambassadors.
The severing of diplomatic relations came after a week of verbal sparring that highlighted Latin America’s differences over free trade and relations with the United States. The conservative Fox tends to side with Washington on many issues, while Chavez, a socialist and populist, has been one of the hemisphere’s
Mexico, Venezuela Recall Ambassadors After Dispute
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused Mexican leader Vicente Fox of being a "puppy" of President Bush and said: "Don't mess with me, sir." Mr. Fox shot back on Monday that "we have dignity in this country" and demanded an apology. Now the two nations are withdrawing their ambassadors.
The severing of diplomatic relations came after a week of verbal sparring that highlighted Latin America's differences over free trade and relations with the United States. The conservative Mr. Fox tends to side with Washington on many issues, while Mr. Chavez, a socialist and populist, has been one
Venezuela kicks ball to Mexico in diplomatic spat
Venezuela said Wednesday Mexico should take the initiative to resolve a diplomatic standoff after both governments recalled their ambassadors in a dispute over U.S. regional free trade proposals.
Mexico Tuesday declared the case closed, but insisted on an apology after President Hugo Chavez called his Mexican counterpart, Vicente Fox, a "lap dog" of U.S. imperialism and told him, "Don't mess with me, mister, or you'll get stung."
Those remarks were directed at Fox's support of U.S. free trade proposals and came after the Mexican leader criticized left-winger Chavez and Argentina's President Nestor Kirchner for
Chavez roils Mexico's presidential race
The presidents of Venezuela and Mexico trade barbs, and pull their ambassadors.
First, there was the name-calling: Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez called his Mexican counterpart an American "puppy dog" after President Vicente Fox defended a US plan for a free-trade zone last week.
Mr. Chávez led several other Latin American leaders at the Summit of the Americas in Argentina in proclaiming the idea dead. Chávez taunted that Mr. Fox was "bleeding from his wound."
Then Mexico ordered the Venezuelan ambassador to pack his bags and prepare to be expelled unless Chávez apologized. Chávez refused. Instead, he warned:
Two police chiefs gunned down in Mexico
Two Mexican police chiefs were gunned down near the U.S. border in what authorities believed were drug-related killings, El Universal reported Tuesday.
The chiefs were killed in two separate incidents by unknown gunmen, said local authorities.
Violence along the U.S.-Mexican border has been on the rise in recent months, attributed to bad blood between rival drug gangs vying for control of the illegal shipping routes into the United States.
About a dozen Mexican police officers have been killed along the border in violence attributed to drugs in the past year.
More: news.monstersandcritics.com
Mexico-Vzla treaty takes effect despite spat
An extradition treaty between Mexico and Venezuela went into effect on Thursday,
a move the Mexican government said shows the relationship between the two nations is moving forward despite a diplomatic spat that saw both countries withdraw their ambassadors earlier this month.
The agreement, which provides for the extradition of citizens of both countries, was signed in 1998, formalized on Oct. 25 and went into effect Thursday.
“The entry into effect of this treaty shows the clear interest of Mexico and Venezuela to broaden their legal frameworks and, in the current context, demonstrates their willingness not only
Chacon urges Mexico to focus on its own anti-drug efforts
Mexican authorities should be focusing more on anti-drug efforts in their own territory than worrying about the amount of illegal drugs smuggled into Mexico from Venezuela, a top government official said. “If they were to finish off the large drug cartels, no drugs would be flowing into Mexico,” Interior and Justice Minister Jesse Chacón said Tuesday.
Last week, Mexican prosecutors announced heroin shipments entering Mexico from Venezuela had doubled in the last year, and suggested that corrupt Venezuelan airport workers may be letting the drugs through.
The amount of heroin seized by law
War of words between Mexico and Venezuela
A diplomatic fight between Mexico and Venezuela worsened yesterday.
Days after branding Mexican President Vicente Fox a "lapdog" of United States imperialism, his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez warned: "Don't mess with me, mister, because you'll get pricked."
Mexico's Foreign Ministry responded, saying it would withdraw its Ambassador to Venezuela unless it received a formal apology.
"The Venezuelan President's declarations hurt the dignity of the people and Government of Mexico," it said.
More: nzherald.co.nz
Ambassadors of Germany, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico
Ambassadors of Germany, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico and Mongolia present letters of accreditation
COMMANDER of the Revolution Juan Almeida Bosque, vice president of the Council of State, accompanied by Bruno RodrĂguez Parilla, acting minister of foreign affairs, yesterday formally received the ambassadors of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ecuador, the Republic of Peru, Mexico and Mongolia for the presentation of their letters of accreditation.
His Excellency Mr. Hans-Ulrich Lunscken, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany, was accompanied by Mr. Dietmar Geisendorf, first secretary, and Ms Annett Greiner, first secretary
Mexico-Venezuela row: Readers' reaction
Mexico and Venezuela's presidents, Vicente Fox and Hugo Chavez, are locked in a row, which could have serious consequences for relations between the two nations.
Mr Fox has threatened to cut off all diplomatic ties with Venezuela if Mr Chavez continues making controversial comments about him or his country.
Mr Chavez has refused to apologise for calling the Mexican President a "puppy" of US imperialism.
The BBC News website spoke to readers from both countries to get their reaction to the dispute.
More: news.bbc.co.uk
