Leaked cable prompts ambassador to quit
WASHINGTON — The US ambassador to Mexico has resigned after the publication of US diplomatic cables criticizing that government’s antidrug fight, infuriating the Mexican president.
Carlos Pascual appears to be the first senior US diplomat to lose his job because of the WikiLeaks revelations. He had been stationed in Mexico for 19 months.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a statement last night that she had accepted Pascual’s resignation “with great regret.’’
Calderon has publicly criticized Pascual, saying early this month that he was angered by the ambassador’s characterization of the Mexican army as “risk-averse’’ in going after drug traffickers.
Calderon also said the cables laid bare US attempts to play Mexican agencies off against one another in the drug fight.
The White House and Clinton have steadfastly expressed support for Pascual, a 23-year veteran of the State Department and US Agency for International Development.
Pascual has been a leading architect of US policy toward Mexico, particularly the latest developments in the Merida Initiative, a joint effort to fight soaring drug violence.
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