Mexico’s president told reporters on Tuesday he had “put on hold” relations with the embassies of the United States and Canada after the two countries expressed concerns about a planned controversial judicial reform.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador did not elaborate on what such a pause would mean. The term is not used in official diplomacy and the Mexican Foreign Ministry did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment on the consequences.
The judicial reform proposal put forward by the Mexican president in his final weeks in office sparked serious protests and strikes as well as widespread criticism from investors and financial institutions.
Last week, US Ambassador Ken Salazar called the proposal a “risk” to democracy and jeopardized Mexico’s trade relations with the US. López Obrador sharply criticized the ambassador, saying it violated Mexican sovereignty. Salazar has since softened his tone and wrote on X that he is open to dialogue.
López Obrador said during his press conference on Tuesday morning that he believed the harsh comments did not come from Salazar, but from the U.S. State Department.
“We are not going to tell (Salazar) to leave the country,” he said. “I hope they promise to respect the independence of Mexico and the sovereignty of our country. But until that happens and they continue with this policy, everything is on hold.”
He cheekily added: “We will take our time,” which made some reporters laugh.
López Obrador also accused Canada of interfering in an internal matter for raising concerns about the proposal. The three countries have an important trade relationship, with trade valued at $1.8 trillion in 2022. So far, the tensions show no clear signs of affecting the long-standing economic and diplomatic relations between them.
It is not the first time that the Mexican head of state has used this phrase. In 2022, he announced a diplomatic pause with Spain over a dispute with energy companies. At the time, López Obrador said the pause was “not a break in relations” with Spain, but “nothing more than a respectful and fraternal protest against the abuses and insults that are being inflicted on the people of Mexico and our country.”
But the latest comments against the U.S. ambassador come at a time of rising tensions between the two governments in recent months after the U.S. arrested Mexican drug lord “El Mayo” Zambada in a peculiar series of events. As more information about the case came to light, López Obrador struck an increasingly aggressive tone, said Carlos Pérez Ricart, a political analyst at the Mexican Center for Economic Research and Teaching.
“Under different circumstances, in a different context, he might have simply listened and not allowed the conflict to escalate,” said Pérez Ricart. “In recent months, we have seen much more radical statements against the United States.”
López Obrador will pass the baton to his political ally and President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who takes office on Oct. 1. Pérez Ricart said that while recent tensions could be a strain for Mexico’s first female president, they could also help her profile herself as a more moderate head of state.
