[A-List] US imperialism: Mexico, Chile

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

US twists arms in effort to end stand-off
By Richard Lapper in São Paulo, John Authers in Mexico City and Mark
Mulligan in Santiago
Financial Times: February 26 2003

stThere has been lots of talk of "mutual respect" but behind the scenes
there has been arm-twisting and what one regional diplomat calls "primitive"
diplomacy as the US presses its two Latin American allies on the Security
Council to vote in favour of war.

Mexico, whose economy has become increasingly integrated with its US
neighbour over the past 10 years, appears most vulnerable to US pressure.
But Chile, whose free trade agreement with the US has still to be approved
by the US Congress, could also pay a heavy price if it rejects US plans.

"We all know about the consequences of taking one or the other position,"
said President Ricardo Lagos of Chile this week.

President Vicente Fox of Mexico, a radical conservative, and Mr Lagos, a
socialist, may come from different political traditions but they appear to
share similar views on the Iraqi crisis and are inclined to support efforts
to give more time to UN arms inspectors.

For Mr Fox, a devout Catholic, the issue is a moral one. Close associates
say it is hard to see his sanctioning a vote in favour of military action.

Both men also face strong domestic political pressures. With the Mexican
public overwhelmingly opposed to war, backing a new UN resolution could
damage the prospects of Mr Fox's right-wing National Action party in
mid-term congressional elections in July and weaken his two-year-old
presidency.

And home politicians are unanimously behind Mr Fox. Over the weekend a
meeting of state governors, the majority of whom are from opposition
parties, unanimously supported Mr Fox's anti-war stance.

Mr Lagos was due to meet opposition leaders on Tuesday but Chile's rightwing
parties share the left's opposition to war.

The pressure from the US and its allies has been growing. President George
W. Bush has telephoned both Mr Fox and Mr Lagos.

José María Aznar, the prime minister of Spain, one of three US allies on the
Security Council, met Mr Fox last week. At least two US State Department
officials have visited Mexico City to deliver apparently tough messages in
the past three weeks.

Fears are growing, too, about the consequences of a continuing standoff.
Mexican businessmen are worried that the official stance could disrupt trade
relations with the US.

Eugenio Clariond, head of Imsa, a conglomerate, told the Reforma newspaper
that it was time to hoist "the flag of North American security to assure
ourselves that the frontier remains open".

There are fears too that Mexicans living in the US could be affected. Plans
to forge a more open North American labour market, launched with some
fanfare by Mr Fox two years ago, have disintegrated.

Mexican officials are also worried that a scheme allowing Mexican consulates
in the US to grant identity cards that have helped regularise life for
undocumented labourers could be at risk. The cards have been accepted as
identification papers by banks and legal authorities in most US cities with
large Mexican populations, enabling immigrants to open bank accounts.