EMBARRASSING SESSION OF MEXICO AT THE OAS

 "I'M NOT GOING TO SIT DOWN": AMBASSADOR OF MEXICO LEADS IN A SHARP SESSION AT THE OAS

"I'm not going to sit down": Mexican ambassador stars in embarrassing session at the OAS. SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, June 2 (EL UNIVERSAL).- Mexico suffered a severe diplomatic setback at dawn in a debate at the Organization of American States (OAS), in a lawsuit in which the Mexican ambassador to that forum, Luz Elena Baños, staged a tantrum to oppose the increase in the budget ceiling of the hemispheric institution.

The events in the plenary session of the organization in Washington caused a splitting of a regional leftist bloc formed by Mexico, Bolivia and Argentina, with the external siege of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, which are not part of the OAS, and left the Mexican delegation in what diplomatic sources described with one term: "embarrassment."

"Mexico suffered one of the most shameful moments in the history of its diplomacy. It was the lowest moment in the history of the OAS by an ambassador," described a diplomatic source who told details of the incident to EL UNIVERSAL from Washington under the request for anonymity.

"It was a shame: Mexico exhibited itself inelegantly in the desire of the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to destroy the OAS and its secretary general, Luis Almagro. But it was like a boomerang, which hit the representation in the mouth Mexican diplomat," he added.

Annoyed by the majority tendency to approve the increase in the budget ceiling from 82 million 800 thousand dollars to 92 million 100 thousand dollars, Baños harshly attacked his colleagues, accused that an "illegal act" was being committed and denounced that they acted against "ethics and morale."

Ambassador of Mexico to the OAS stars in a bellicose episode during the session

Without the microphones of the plenary session capturing her scandalous claims, Baños began to scream, stood up and, when the president of the Permanent Council, the Uruguayan ambassador. Washington Abdala, asked her to sit down, she responded angrily: "I'm not going to sit down."

Faced with the questions that Baños uttered with doubts about the moral values of his colleagues, the Barbados ambassador, Noel Anderson, reacted deeply angry and, before leaving the room, recalled that he studied in Mexico and that, in some stages of his stay In that country, for being Afro-descendant, he was insulted in the Mexican streets with labels such as "monkey" and "gorilla".

In the debate "I was listening to things that are disrespectful to us," said Anderson, who received the support of the rest of the delegates of the Caribbean Community (Caricom, for its acronym in English).

"The Caribbean as a group was upset with Mexico. In addition, Mexico lost in the vote because the increase in the budget ceiling was approved with 25 votes in favor and 5 against. With that numerical disadvantage, Ambassador Baños must have understood that her outbursts lacked sense," another diplomatic source from Washington told this newspaper.

Argentina also distanced itself from Mexico.

"This is not a debate between those (who want to) defend, strengthen and improve the OAS and those who want to destroy the OAS. No," argued the Argentine ambassador, Carlos Raimundi.