CANADIAN AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO TO LEAVE FOLLOWING CRITICAL COMMENTS


Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit

    Copyright 1997 by Agence France-Presse
    Mon, 6 Oct 1997 19:20:39 PDT

   MEXICO CITY, Oct 6 (AFP) - Canada's ambassador to Mexico, Marc
Perron, is leaving his post after being quoted in a Mexican magazine
as criticizing business dealings in that country as "dirty" and
corrupt.
   In the interview with the weekly Milenio published Monday,
Perron was highly critical of how Mexico did business.
   In particular, he described as a "very dirty story" Mexico
City's "unjustified" decision to award a 360 million dollar contract
to build 28 subway trains to the Canadian firm Bombardier, and then
withdraw it.
   "I am a Middle East expert and when I arrived here I though I
knew everything about corruption," he was quoted as saying. "But I
was mistaken. When you see what goes on in Mexico, it is difficult
to understand, there are things I cannot comprehend."
   In Ottawa, Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy said Monday
that Perron "no longer feels he can be effective in his work in
Mexico and asks to return to Ottawa."
   Axworthy said Perron's reported remarks were "inappropriate" and
that officials from both countries agreed that his return would be
the best move.
   He said he had discussed the matter with Mexican Foreign
Minister Jose Angel Gurria and added, "I don't think it will in any
way affect our relations."
   In the interview Perron said Mexico "is very complicated and
that is probably because many groups have to be satisfied. In Canada
things are clear, there is a law ... In Mexico the law says one
thing but if you offer me something, we can make a deal ... It's a
cultural thing."
   Perron had also criticized Mexico's decision to award a natural
gas distribution contract to a US firm allied with a Mexican
company, even though Canada's British Columbia Gas had offered to do
it cheaper.
   The Bombardier contract was later awarded to Spain's CAF in
alliance with Japan's Mitsubishi and Mexico's ICA.


 
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