Mexico puts ties with US, Canada embassies ‘on pause’ over overhaul plan

Last week, American ambassador Ken Salazar called the proposal a risk to democracy that would endanger Mexico’s commercial relationship with the United States. Lpez Obrador lambasted the ambassador, saying he violated Mexican sovereignty.

Lpez Obrador said during his morning press briefing Tuesday he believed the sharp comments were not from Salazar, but rather from the US State Department.

We’re not going to tell him (Salazar) to leave the country, he said, I hope that they promise to be respectful of Mexican’s independence, of our country’s sovereignty. But until that happens, and they continue these policies, it’s on pause.

He added cheekily, we are going to take our time, garnering laughs from some reporters.

Lpez Obrador also accused Canada of interfering with an internal matter for expressing apprehension about the proposal. The three countries share a crucial commercial relationship that reached an estimated $1.8 trillion in trade in 2022. So far, the tensions show no clear signs of how they can affect the longstanding economic and diplomatic relationship between them.

Salazar has since dialed back his tone, writing on X that he was open to a dialogue and that he respected Mexican sovereignty. But as he did, members of the bipartisan Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, issued a joint statement saying they were “deeply concerned” about the judicial overhaul and other proposed reforms to the constitution, which they say could contradict commitments made in their trade agreement.

The comments are likely to only further irritate Lpez Obrador.

It’s not the first time the Mexican state head has thrown around the phrase. In 2022, he announced a diplomatic pause with Spain over a dispute with energy companies. At the time, Lpez Obrador said the pause is not a break in relations with Spain, but nothing more than a respectful and fraternal protest against the abuses and grievances committed against the people of Mexico and our country.

However, the latest comments aimed at the US ambassador come amid heightened tensions between the two governments in recent months, after the US nailed Mexican drug lord El Mayo’ Zambada in a peculiar set of events. As more information has been revealed about the case, Lpez Obrador has taken on an increasingly belligerent tone, said Carlos Prez Ricart, a political analyst at Mexico’s Center for Economic Research and Teaching.

First Published: Aug 28 2024 | 7:02 AM IST