Venezuela rejects Mexico's 'ultimatum'

Venezuela rejected Mexico’s demand for an apology today in a spat between President Hugo Chavez and Mexican leader Vicente Fox, calling it an unjustified ultimatum and saying Venezuela was recalling its ambassador.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez said his country would not accept the demand by Mexico, which last night warned that it would withdraw its ambassador if Chavez didn’t apologise for saying to Fox: “don’t mess with me.”

“The immediate return of ambassador Vladimir Villegas has been ordered,” Rodriguez said. The Mexico City embassy would be left in the hands of a charge-d’affaires.

He called the Mexican demand “an unjustified attack” and added, “This situation is entirely the responsibility of President Fox.”

“There is not a break” in relations, Rodriguez said, adding that Venezuela would wait to see how Mexico responds.

Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department said yesterday that because Chavez’s comments “strike at the dignity of the Mexican people and government, Mexico demands a formal apology from Venezuela’s government.”

Friction between Chavez and Fox started at this month’s Summit of the Americas in Argentina, where the Mexican leader defended a US-backed proposal for a free trade zone while Chavez proclaimed the idea dead.

“President Fox left bleeding from his wound,” Chavez said today, echoing remarks last week in which he accused Fox of being a “puppy” of the US government for supporting its plans for the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

“Don’t mess with me, sir, because you’ll come out pricked,” Chavez added.

Chavez, who is a close ally of Cuba’s Fidel Castro and sharp critic of US President George Bush, accused Fox of attacking him and Argentine President Nestor Kirchner, who hosted the recent summit hosted by Argentina.

The Venezuelan leader also accused Fox of violating summit protocol in trying to press for an agreement on the free trade zone when that wasn’t on the agenda.

“The only very hard response I’ve given to any president was ... to President Fox. He disrespected me,” Chavez said, adding that by responding he was simply defending his country.

The dispute with Venezuela arose just as Argentina and Mexico had declared resolved a similar rift caused by an exchange of harsh words between Fox and Kirchner stemming from disagreements over the FTAA, which aims to create the world’s largest free trade zone stretching from Alaska to Argentina.

“The position assumed by President Fox has no justification,” Rodriguez said.

He added that Chavez’s comments were not intended to impugn Mexico’s dignity but were rather part of a debate over ideas, “a health exercise of democracy.”