Mexico considers breaking off relations with Venezuela after Chavez election comments

MEXICO CITY (AP) _ Mexico said Sunday that it is reevaluating its diplomatic relations with Venezuela after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused the Mexican government of stealing its country's

Sunday, September 17th 2006, 7:01 am

By: News On 6

MEXICO CITY (AP) _ Mexico said Sunday that it is reevaluating its diplomatic relations with Venezuela after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused the Mexican government of stealing its country's recent presidential election.

Chavez said last week that his government had not recognized the victory of Mexican ruling party candidate Felipe Calderon because of concerns about alleged election irregularities.

Chavez apparently expanded on his allegations Saturday when interviewed by CNN at the Nonaligned Movement summit in Havana. According to a CNN anchor, Chavez again accused Mexico's conservative National Action Party of stealing the election, and said Calderon's campaign had ``destroyed'' the opportunity for good relations with Venezuela.

Attack ads by the National Action Party compared leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to Chavez, calling the candidate ``a danger for Mexico.''

``The Mexican government rejects completely the judgments expressed about the Mexican electoral process and its results,'' Mexico's foreign ministry said in an e-mail to reporters. ``Even though false, they constitute an inadmissible intervention in the internal affairs of our country.''

``The Mexican government is evaluating the level of relations it will maintain with the government of Venezuela for the rest of this administration,'' it continued.

Mexican President Vicente Fox hands power to Calderon on Dec. 1.