U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual quits over WikiLeaks controversy

[News_Editor]

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual quits over WikiLeaks controversy

2011-03-20 20:37:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- The U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Carlos Pascual, on Saturday quit his position over controversy caused by the publication of diplomatic cables that criticized the Mexican government.

The controversy is largely a result of WikiLeaks, which released secret U.S. cables that showed Pascual's criticism of the Mexican government. In one particular cable, Mexican President Felipe Calderon was criticized by Pascual's deputy for having a lack of coordination on security issues.

Other cables also criticized Calderon and his government, mainly in relation to the fight against drug cartels. This led to outrage by the Mexican President who publicly demanded Pascual to be removed from his post and said he could no longer trust the U.S. Ambassador.

Then on Saturday, with normal working relations virtually impossible, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Pascual's resignation. "It is with great regret that I announce that Ambassador Pascual has asked President Obama and me to accept his resignation as our ambassador to Mexico," Clinton said in a statement.

Clinton spoke highly of Pascual, calling him an "architect and advocate" for the U.S.-Mexico relationship. "He has collaborated tirelessly with his Mexican counterparts to lay the foundation for a cross-border renewable energy market, to open negotiations on the management of oil and gas reserves that span U.S. and Mexican territory, and to build a new border strategy to advance trade while staunching illicit flows," she said.

Pascual has been the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico since August 2009 and prior to that served as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine between October 2000 and May 2003 under President George W. Bush.

"Carlos has relayed his decision to return to Washington based upon his personal desire to ensure the strong relationship between our two countries and to avert issues raised by President Calderon that could distract from the important business of advancing our bilateral interests," Clinton said. "It is with great reluctance that President Obama and I have acceded to Carlos's request."

Clinton added that Pascual will remain in Mexico to help organize an orderly transition when a replacement has been found. After that, Pascual will return to the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. to assume new responsibilities. Clinton did not specify what these new responsibilities would be.

Last week, U.S. State Department spokesman Philip P.J. Crowley was also forced to resign in relation to WikiLeaks. He was heavily criticized within the U.S. government for publicly condemning the treatment of Private First Class Bradley Manning, who is suspected of having leaked secret U.S. files to whistle-blowing organization WikiLeaks, causing a diplomatic disaster of epic proportions.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-03-20