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Mexico regrets cancellation of Pratibha’s address

— Photo: PTI

A warm welcome: President Pratibha Patil meeting Mexican schoolchildren during her ceremonial reception at Los Pinos in Mexico on Thursday.

MEXICO CITY: The weeklong blockade of the Mexican Parliament by Opposition parties, resulting in the cancellation of an address by the visiting President, Pratibha Patil, has caused embarrassment to Mexican President Felipe Calderon. The Mexican side expressed regret during the official talks between Mr. Calderon and Ms. Patil.

“We deeply, deeply regret that the President of India could not go to Congress, as is usual on a state visit,” Foreign Relations Minister Patricia Espinosa is quoted by local newspapers as saying at the banquet. “Without doubt, it makes us look bad as a country,” she said. Opposition parties opposing government reforms in the oil sector have blocked members of Parliament from entering the chambers.

During the banquet and at official meetings, Mr. Calderon talked about India being the cradle of one of the greatest civilisations of mankind, at the same time readying to play a prominent role in this new century.

Both sides emphasised economic development as well as poverty alleviation, which is a common challenge faced by India and most Latin American countries. “The highest values of peace, democracy, justice and fairness advocated by Gandhi, are also ours,” Mr. Calderon said.

Both leaders presided over the signing of two agreements, one on air services and the other on renewable energy. It has been decided that the designated airlines of both countries would enter into a code-sharing arrangement to address the problems of distance that hampered tourism and business developments. In agriculture, it was agreed that efforts would be made to renew the success of the Green Revolution in India contributed by the Sonora dwarf wheat variety from Mexico in the 1960s.

Although India and Mexico are on the same side on most multilateral issues, including the World Trade Organisation, Mexico is opposed to the G-4 (India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan) initiative on expansion of permanent expansion of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). They favour only expansion of non-permanent membership. However, India has agreed to support Mexico’s candidature for non-permanent membership for 2009-10 and Mexico will back India in 2010-11.

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