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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | January 2007 
Calderón Spotlights LatAm Relations
 El Universal
| | Mexico's President Felipe Calderon waves during the inauguration ceremony of Nicaragua's new president Daniel Ortega in Managua, Wednesday Jan. 10, 2007. In the front row with him, are from left to right, Oscar Berger, president of Guatemala, Leonel Fernandez, president of the Dominican Republic, Margarita Zavala, wife of Calderon, and Mohamed Abdelaziz, the leader of the Western Sahara. (AP/Dario Lopez-Mills) |
In Managua for the inauguration of Nicaragua´s Daniel Ortega, President Calderón declared Mexico´s future is in Latin America, while insisting that this reality should not affect relations with the United States.
"This is the region to which we belong," he said upon arriving in the Nicaragua capital on Wednesday morning. "This is where Mexico´s heart is, our culture, our people and our history is all derived from this region."
Calderón was granted a meeting with the president-elect before Ortega was sworn in.
"We want to have a frank and collaborative relationship with Nicaragua and Latin America as a whole," he said. "I think we are making this perfectly clear by virtue of the fact that this is my first trip abroad as president."
During his meeting with Ortega, Calderón expressed admiration for Nicaragua´s history and for the Central American nation´s most famous politician, Pedro Joaquín Chamorro.
Chamorro was a newspaperman and a politician who sought to unite the opposition against then-dictator Anastasio Somoza. His murder in January 1978 spurred the Sandinista insurrection which eventually brought Ortega to power in the 1980s. Ironically, Chamorro´s widow, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro would eventually defeat Ortega in the 1990 presidential election.
"I deeply appreciate the significance of your receiving me this morning in this colorful house, this beautiful headquarters of the Sandinista Front," Calderón told Ortega. "The symbolism this building has for you and all Nicaraguans is not lost on me."
"I believe firmly in freedom, the freedom of ideas and the freedom of expression ... and as our terms begin almost simultaneously, I hope we can build a cooperative relationship that outlasts our respective administrations."
Ortega responded by saying he looked forward to "the opportunity to deepen and strengthen our nations´ ties."
Afterward, Calderón said his desire is to build strong relations with all governments in Latin America and North America.
The president reiterated that he sought to establish positive relations with all governments. |
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