Monday, November 14, 2005


MEXICO CITY — Mexico recalled its ambassador from Venezuela on Monday after Caracas said it would withdraw its top diplomat instead of apologizing after President Hugo Chavez warned Mexican leader Vicente Fox: "Don't mess with me, sir, because you'll get stung."

Fox said in a television interview that he would meet with Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez to decide what to do next.

Tensions between Fox and Chavez spilled over after this month's Summit of the Americas in Argentina, where Fox defended a U.S.-backed proposal for a Free Trade Area of the Americas while Chavez proclaimed the idea dead.

In an interview, Fox promised to keep the debate with Chavez from becoming personal but added "we can't allow people to offend our country."

Mexico said earlier Monday that it would kick out Venezuelan ambassador Vladimir Villegas and recall its own ambassador to that country at midnight unless Chavez's government apologized for the remarks.

But in a news conference Monday in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, Foreign Secretary Ali Rodriguez said his country would not accept Mexico's demands and considered the ultimatum "unjustified."

"The immediate return of ambassador Vladimir Villegas has been ordered," Rodriguez said, adding that a charge-d'affaires would be in charge of the embassy. "This situation is entirely the responsibility of President Fox."


Fox responded by saying he was going to continue to fight for free trade — the topic that sparked the dispute between the two leaders.

Fox spokesman Ruben Aguilar stressed that withdrawing ambassadors wouldn't mean severing ties completely with Venezuela because business and cultural relations would remain intact.

Chavez, who is a close ally of Cuba's Fidel Castro and sharp critic of President Bush, had accused Fox of attacking him and Argentine President Nestor Kirchner, who hosted the summit.

The Venezuelan leader also accused Fox of violating summit protocol in trying to press for an agreement on the free trade zone when that wasn't on the agenda.

"President Fox left bleeding from his wound," Chavez said Sunday, echoing remarks last week in which he accused Fox of being a "puppy" of the U.S. government for supporting the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

"Don't mess with me, sir, because you'll get stung," Chavez added.

A diplomatic dispute with Cuba in 2004 led Mexico to expel the Cuban ambassador and withdraw its own emissary to Havana, a freeze that lasted for several months. Venezuela is a close ally of Cuba.

Chavez's comments reignited a dispute that flared late last week, but appeared to cool during the weekend.

On Friday, Aguilar demanded a satisfactory explanation from Venezuela for Chavez's "puppy" comment and said this country would take "appropriate steps" if it didn't get one.

But Mexico's Foreign Relations department released a statement a day later saying Derbez and his Venezuelan counterpart had a "cordial and productive" talk and that the countries were moving closer to a resolution of the dispute that would strengthen their bilateral relationship.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,175524,00.html

Things are really heating up in south america and mexico. Chavez doesn't get along with alot of people. What are your thoughts on this?

Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, Ali Khamenei, Bashar Assad & Kim Lili make me sick!

I dunno,

Chavez is awfully popular amongst the poor and his popularity is spreading into other countries. Still, I really wish Washington would ignore him, all we do is give him a podium to stand on everytime we try and confront him.

I am always heartened and uplifted when I see world leaders working to resolve their differences like adults rather than two year olds.

Chavez is bent on becoming the next Fidel and is casting himself in the image of Fidel with a Bolivar twist trying to cast himself in the great liberator role. The US is his target and despite the fact that a Majority of the Latin American Nations seem to favor a Free Trade Area Chavez used the used the sumitt to spout more of his Castro based rhetoric.

When Fox called him on it he came back with a threat. Go figure. Thats Hugo he's threatened Columbia over his harboring of FARC Narco-Terrorists too. And he's been on TV all week spouting anti Mexico, anti US rhetoric.

Do the poor of his country support him. Depends on whether you believe the polls conducted by his Nationalized Media. It's pretty clear given the clashes in the streets of Caracas after the last election not everybody does.

Chavez would like to be the next Castro and the problem is he's not confined to an Island. He can export Guerilla War pretty much anywhere in Latin America. He's a problem and he's only going to get worse.

Well, we could just give all more foriegn aid. That's alwase worked in the past, hasnt it?


Truth is, we're still in the last phases of the Cold War (which was the last phases of WW2, wich was the last phases of WW1 ect ect) where all the parasites that fed off the Soviet body have been trying to continue existance by feeding off the carcuse.. but are finding that they've run out of stuff to suck up and have no real clue how to go about feeding themselves anymore.

If you look around the world at the troublesome spots now, you see a pretty clear grouping of former Soviet allies, either soft or hard..with the exception of Iran which was equally hated by both sides in the CW.

with the exception of Iran which was equally hated by both sides in the CW.

ummm no, Iran was a strong ally of the United States and was a key player in containg the soviet union. This changed when we did nothing to keep the shah from being over thrown, not only did we not help him, the carter adminsration tied his hands and wouldnt let him put down the rebellion.

Castro right now is playing off of Chavez's hero worship and snuggling up to the Venezuelan Oil sugar teet that Hugo controls. If you listen to alot of what Chavez spouts you could super impose Fidel or Che's face over his and hear the same thing being spouted in the 50's and 60's.

Well yeah, there is that. I was refering to the time after the "revolution".

There was also a time when much of the mid east was fairly America friendly. That changed when The UK and France pulled that recolonization of Egypt attempt.

But, if you go with "last known possition" I'm still pretty close to accurate.

edited in an attempt to get back on topic

Chaves is a clown and a blowhard with little if any real internal support. Sure, there's folk joining up in battalions of brigades because "The American is comming the American is comming!!" but those are the same morons that run around like headless chickens all the time on any subject anyway.

There might even be an eventual "revolution" in Venezuala to make em officiall commie but not much will really change.

Colombia is POed at him, Mexico now has him on their list. He's a joke.

Your right in terms of Fidel. He lost the Support of the USSR when it toppled. Now he's found a new Sugar Daddy with Hugo and he needs it Cubas economy has been in the crapper for years. And it's even better for him since Hugo pretty much will do or say anything the Beard tells him so deep runs his hero worship for Castro. Before Fidel pretty much had to toe the line and mind Moscow . Now for all intents and purposes he's calling the shots.

IMO this is going to cause problems because Castros goal has always been A Peoples Revolution thru out Latin America. Chavez is picking up that ball. The best we can hope for is that Fidel kicks off and the Cuban People decide that his system didn't work. Otherwise stand by for Brush fires in Latin America.