CUBA: Mexico's diplomatic relations with Cuba cooled significantly this weekend as Havana recalled its ambassador for "consultations". This follows President Fidel Castro's unceremonious exit from the Monterrey aid summit, which concluded on Friday.
Dr Castro addressed a plenary session on Thursday then left abruptly hours before the US President arrived. "Go ask Bush" was the terse comment from Cuban parliamentary chief Mr Ricardo Alarcón, who deputised in Dr Castro's absence. Thousands of Cubans marched at the weekend.
"Bush threatened not to go to the conference unless Castro was sidelined," said Cuban Foreign Minister Mr Felipe Pérez Roque. He added that a "top Mexican official" made Dr Castro's attendance conditional on his early departure.
Dr Castro's presence in Mexico raised US fears of a repeat of the 2000 incident in which the Cuban leader shook former president Bill Clinton's hand when they crossed paths unexpectedly.
The Mexican ambassador to Cuba, Mr Ricardo Pascoe, resigned last week in events unconnected to the row. But President Vicente Fox announced no replacement for Mr Pascoe, a hint that relations with the Caribbean island are under re-evaluation.
Past Mexican governments maintained warm relations with the Cuban leader, resisting US pressure to isolate the revolution. Since Mexico signed a free trade agreement with the US (NAFTA) in 1993 the country has shifted closer to the "Washington Consensus", aligning its foreign policy with US demands. Juventud Rebelde, an official Cuban newspaper, accused Mexico of selling out Dr Castro to the US.
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