Appointment of Mexico's Secretary of Foreign Relations Was Requested by Donald Trump Sabina Berman - Mexico Voices
go to original January 26, 2017

President Pena Nieto Names Former Finance Minister Videgaray as Foreign Minister (CGTN)

One of the first appointments made by Donald Trump was that of Luis Videgaray as Mexico's secretary of foreign relations.

It happened like this. Within two weeks of being declared U.S. president, Donald Trump called President Peña Nieto on the telephone and indicated that he wished Luis Videgaray to be the Mexican foreign minister. "

I´ll do business with him, no one else," he said harshly.

In addition to Trump, his son-in-law, Jarred Kushner, was on a second phone, and Luis Videgaray, was next to Peña. Trump explicitly associated Videgaray with his son-in-law.

"They're friends," he said a couple of times.

And later, and in a friendly tone, he predicted that with Videgaray as secretary of foreign relations,

"we will do business together."

To which Peña Nieto obsequiously acceded:

"Very well, Mr. President-elect."

So, a few days later, Peña Nieto dismissed Claudia Ruiz de Massieu, the secretary at the time, and named in her place Trump's favorite, Luis Videgaray.

The story of the facts was leaked from Los Pinos [The Pines, presidential residence] to several Mexican businessmen by the same Videgaray, probably to give himself importance. And the story spread among the wealthiest businessmen in the country like a trail of gunpowder: a threat that awaits only a match to incite panic.

Even more important, the report reveals very adverse conditions for Mexico. To begin with, we have a very weak president, surrounded by a disapproving majority of the people, discouraged and insecure, who, before sitting down at the negotiating table with Trump, accepts and gives in and gives in and gives in.

Putting at the head of our negotiating team the person whom the adversary has choosen for it is equivalent to putting the enemy's general in front of our army.

Second, the story betrays the devaluation of everything that is at stake for Mexico, which is actually huge.

• Nothing less than paying for a wall on the border, whose mere construction - not just its payment - is opprobrious.
• To disrupt the two countries' integrated economy, which took 30 years to develop into what it is today.
• The future of 11 million undocumented Mexicans.
• The future of our relationship with 27 million Mexican-Americans.
• Millions of jobs.
• The devaluation of the peso.
• The productivity of the Mexican border area.

And what is subtle, but still real and transcendent: pride in Mexican identity.

Read the rest at Mexico Voices

Mexico Voices is a blogging endeavor aimed at raising the awareness of U.S. citizens regarding the destructive impact of the U.S. economic policy and the War on Drugs on Mexico - on its people, their economic and physical security and their human rights, on the nation’s dysfunctional justice system, and on the rule of law and Mexico’s fragile democracy. Visit the website at MexicoVoices.blogspot.mx

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!