FILE PHOTO: Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador delivers his second state of the union address at National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, September 1, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Romero/File Photo
November 11, 2020
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico confirmed on Wednesday that its top diplomat Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard spoke to U.S. Attorney General William Barr about the arrest of former Mexican defense minister and retired army general Salvador Cienfuegos on U.S. soil.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said during a regular government news conference that Ebrard is in talks with U.S. Attorney General William Barr and that a diplomatic memo had been sent.
“It is true that a diplomatic memo was sent and it is true that there have been phone calls between the foreign minister and the United States attorney general on this issue,” said Lopez Obrador, without offering further details.
The announcement comes days after Reuters reported that Barr spoke with Ebrard last week to try to lower bilateral tension arising from the arrest of Cienfuegos, a top player in Mexico’s war on drug gangs until two years ago. The former army general was arrested in Los Angeles last month on drugs charges.
Mexico says it should have had prior warning about the arrest and investigation of Cienfuegos, who pleaded not guilty to the charges in a federal court in New York.
Lopez Obrador has said he will announce a review of security cooperation agreements with the United States in light of the case.
Cienfuegos is accused of using the power of his office to help a relatively small drug gang, former allies of the Sinaloa Cartel, manufacture and ship drugs, including cocaine and heroin, to the United States.
(Reporting by Ana Isabel Martinez; Additional reporting by Raul Cortes; Writing by Anthony Esposito; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Aurora Ellis)
