MEXICO/THE US: The White House has played down the cancellation of a visit by Mexican President Vicente Fox later this month to President Bush's Texas ranch to protest that state's execution of a Mexican citizen. The Mexican leader called off his trip in a "show of unequivocal repudiation of the execution of Javier Suarez Medina", a spokesman for Mr Fox said.
Mr Bush "respects President Fox and the two have an excellent professional relationship and a strong friendship. It reflects the deep bond between the two countries," his spokesman said, and looked forward to his next meeting with Mr Fox. The two presidents are scheduled to meet in October at a meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation forum, which will be held the Mexican city of Los Cabos.
Suarez (33), was executed on Wednesday by lethal injection in Huntsville, 200 km from Crawford, for the 1988 murder of an undercover police officer in Dallas, Texas. Mr Fox, the EU and the United Nations had pressed Texas to commute Suarez's sentence to life in prison, as he had been denied access to consular advice in violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic protocol.
The Mexican president would have been just the third foreign leader, after the Russian President, Mr Vladimir Putin, and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, to visit Mr Bush's ranch.
"However, it would be inappropriate under these lamentable circumstances to undertake this visit to Texas," his spokesman said in a surprise statement read to the press.
Suarez's execution was the 20th this year in Texas - which leads all US states in executions - and the 40th in the country. - (AFP)