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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Iran eyes Mexico in deepening Latin America ties |
| 2009-02-27 |
| MEXICO CITY (AP) — Iran is exploring ways to expand anemic trade with Mexico as part of stepped up efforts to deepen ties with Latin America, a top Iranian diplomat said Thursday. Annual trade between Mexico and Iran is a mere $50 million, compared to $2 billion with Brazil, said Ali Reza Salari, Iran's deputy foreign minister for the Americas. "We are here to investigate, why so low?" Reza Salari told reporters in Mexico City, where he was to meet with diplomats and business leaders. "With Mexico, there is absolutely no political problem between us. No cultural problems. It shows we have many shortcomings in our trade relations." Iran has a deepening alliance with some leftist-led Latin American countries, based partly on mutual antagonism toward the United States. Housing projects have brought hundreds of Iranian engineers and specialists to Venezuela, and Tehran has opened new embassies in Nicaragua and Bolivia. Deeper ties with Mexico's U.S.-friendly conservative government would necessarily be more practical in nature. Mexico has been trying to find new markets for its exports in a bid to ease economic reliance on the United States — especially since being dragged to the brink of recession by U.S. financial turmoil. That could provide an opportunity for Iran as it seeks to ease its international isolation. Reza Salari said he sees opportunities to expand tourism and energy cooperation with Mexico, but acknowledged that such efforts are at a tentative phase. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #6 I think this is why Bush didn't close the border. By allowing porosities to exist, the cartels could still make their money, and in return they would snitch out any middle easterners trying to slip in with the coyotes. If terrorism comes to us from Mexico, the result will be a lot of dead mexican drug runners, probably a lot of dead drug barons and a steel curtain type border (the expense will at that time be justifiable). |
| Posted by: Rob06 2009-02-27 16:24 |
| #5 The government was just as corrupt then, and there were a bunch of bandits then too. Just now the bandits are a little more organized. The only difference is to use the chaos and border crossings to mask WMD movement into the US. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2009-02-27 10:20 |
| #4 The Germans tried this too. They failed Different situation, Darth. There's a different bunch of crooks in the Mexican government, and the narco crooks don't care what kind of people are backing them so long as they get support. |
| Posted by: mom 2009-02-27 10:00 |
| #3 The Germans tried this too. They failed Different situation, Darth. There's a different bunch of crooks in the Mexican government, and the narco crooks don't care what kind of people are backing them so long as they get support. |
| Posted by: mom 2009-02-27 10:00 |
| #2 The Germans tried this too. They failed. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2009-02-27 09:43 |
| #1 Supplise! Hezzie gun power on your back door. Gun sex and federal incopotence. |
| Posted by: newc 2009-02-27 01:42 |