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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | December 2005 
Chavez Praises Fox After Insult
 Reuters
| | Last month, Venezuela and Mexico recalled their envoys after Fox and Chavez sparred over US free-trade proposals and Mexico demanded an apology when Chavez called Fox a "lap dog" of US imperialism. |
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday praised his Mexican counterpart Vicente Fox, backing out of a war of words that led both nations to withdraw their ambassadors last month.
Chavez, a left-winger and Washington's foe, applauded Fox's public statements last week where he denounced as "disgraceful and shameful" a proposal to build a wall on the United States-Mexico border to stop illegal immigrants.
"The stance of the Mexican president seemed dignified to me, worthy of the dignity of the people of Pancho Villa, of Emiliano Zapata, of the Aztecs," Chavez said.
"I saw him objecting firmly and I applaud him," Chavez told a meeting of Venezuelan diplomatic corps members.
Concerned about the huge numbers of illegal immigrants streaming across the border and worried it could be an entry point for terrorists, a US lawmaker has proposed building two parallel wire fences running from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Coast.
But Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has dismissed the idea as too costly.
Fox, a conservative former Coca-Cola executive who has backed the United States in its campaign to introduce a region-wide Free Trade Area for the Americas, said such extreme measures would violate immigrants' rights.
Last month, Venezuela and Mexico recalled their envoys after Fox and Chavez sparred over US free-trade proposals and Mexico demanded an apology when Chavez called Fox a "lap dog" of US imperialism. Fox said he was awaiting an apology.
A former soldier with strong ties to US foe Cuba, Chavez has clashed frequently with Washington since he survived a coup in 2002 that he says was backed by the Bush administration.
Venezuela, the world's fifth-biggest oil exporter, remains a key crude supplier to the US market. |
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