Mexico has pulled its ambassador from Havana and accused Cuba of interfering in its internal affairs as bitterness over Mexico's close relations with the United States comes to a head. "Mexico does not and will not tolerate under any circumstance any foreign government trying to affect our decisions on foreign or domestic policy," Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez told a news conference. Mexico asked Cuba on Sunday to pull its envoy out of Mexico City within 48 hours, he said. A spokesman for the Cuban government said Havana had no immediate comment on the Mexican decision.
Mexico was a traditional ally of the Communist-run island for decades but relations have fallen to an all time low under President Vicente Fox, who has swung Mexico closer to Washington since taking power in 2000. A dispute that began with Mexico's support last month for a censure of Cuba at a U.N. rights body came to a head in recent days. President Fidel Castro harshly criticised Mexico at a May Day speech on Saturday for voting against Cuba, saying Mexico's prestige in the world had "turned into ashes". Interior Minister Santiago Creel also said two members of the Cuban Communist Party's central committee had been "carrying out activities incompatible with their status" in Mexico. That term is often used by governments to denote spying but Creel added that the pair had dabbled in "affairs which should be dealt with by diplomatic channels in the relevant institutions," suggesting they had become involved in Mexican politics. |