Obama, Clinton accept resignation of US envoy to Mexico

March 20th, 2011 - 1:14 pm ICT by ANI  

Barack Obama Washington, Mar.20 (ANI): US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama have accepted the resignation of Carlos Pascaul, the country’s envoy to Mexico, following a reported spat with Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

He resigned amid furor over a leaked diplomatic cable by wikileaks in which he complained about inefficiency and infighting among Mexican security forces in the campaign against drug cartels.

According to The Politico, diplomatic cables exposed by Wikileaks showed Pascual was doubting the Calderon government’s ability to deal with crime and corruption.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton credited Pascual with guiding U.S. policy on deadly Mexican drug cartels and said that she and US President Barack Obama accepted Pascual’s resignation with “great regret.”

She said Pascual has been an architect and advocate for the U.S.-Mexico relationship and has effectively advanced the policies of the United States on behalf of the president and administration.

“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,” Clinton added.

She further said Pascual’s decision to step down was “based upon his personal desire to ensure the strong relationship between our two countries and to avert issues” raised by President Felipe Calderon.

She also told that the administration has asked Pascual to stay at his post on temporary basis in order to ensure an “orderly” transition. (ANI)

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