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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | March 2008 
Calderon Invited to Cuba, in Sign of Warming Relations
 Agence France-Presse
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| | Mexico's Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa is seen during a meeting with Cuba's Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, not seen, in Havana, Thursday March 13, 2008. Espinosa, Mexico's top diplomat, visited Cuba in an effort to improve relations between the two nations, which suffered under both nations' previous administrations. (AP/Javier Galeano) | | |
President Raul Castro invited Mexican President Felipe Calderon to Cuba, after Mexico's top diplomat announced a "new period" of good relations between the two countries, at the start of her visit.
"Relations between Mexico and Cuba are completely normal and a new chapter of cooperation has been opened," Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said after meeting with Mexico's Foreign Affairs Secretary Patricia Espinosa.
Perez Roque said he would travel to Mexico in September "bearing an invitation for President Calderon to make an official visit to our country," from President Castro.
Espinosa told reporters that her visit marked "the start of a new period in the relations ... between Cuba and Mexico," after six testy years under Mexican ex-president Vicente Fox.
Calderon's conservative administration, she added, wanted to resume the "brotherly relations" of the past between the two countries.
Mexico and communist Cuba enjoyed relatively good relations until Fox became the first opposition member in 80 years to be elected president in 2000. Cuban leader Fidel Castro called Fox a pawn of the United States.
Perez Roque also mentioned Cuba's improved relations with Mexico since Calderon took office in December 2006, and thanked Espinosa for Mexico's "consistent opposition to the US blockade of Cuba" of more than 40 years.
Besides Perez Roque, Espinosa is also scheduled to meet with Vice President Carlos Lage and National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon.
The Mexican foreign secretary's visit comes three weeks after Raul Castro, 76, officially replaced his ailing brother Fidel Castro, 81, who is still recovering from major surgery in July 2006. |
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