Mexico ‘pauses' relations with US, Canadian embassies after judicial reform criticism

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY (AA) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday announced a halt in relations with the US and Canadian embassies in Mexico.

The indefinite “pause” with the embassies of its two main trade partners and northern neighbors follows criticism of Mexico's controversial judicial reform proposal pushed by the president, which has been labeled as a democratic setback for the country by both the US and Canada.

"As long as that isn't resolved and they continue with that policy, there will be a pause," Lopez Obrador said at the morning briefing.

"They need to learn to respect Mexico's sovereignty. It's not a trivial matter because we are not going to give them advice on anything, to say what is right and what is wrong. So, we want them to be respectful," he added.

The reform pushed by the president and possibly fast-tracked by congress seeks to have Supreme Court Justices and Magistrates elected by popular vote.

Last week, US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar expressed his concern regarding the reform, which he called "a major risk to the functioning of Mexico's democracy."

Likewise, Canada's Ambassador to Mexico Graeme C. Clark said that Canadian investors had expressed their concerns over the reform, which they saw as problematic for investments in the country.

On Monday, the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico (AmCham) and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Mexico (CanCham) issued separate statements highlighting that the reform creates a climate of uncertainty and distrust for investors.

Although the president has confirmed that the cease in diplomatic relations is only with the embassies and does not extend to the governments they represent, Lopez Obrador called the remarks of the North American envoys "undemocratic" and "shameful" and demanded an apology and "clarification from them" to end the pause.

"As long as I am here, we will not allow any violation of our sovereignty," he said.