Mexico and Cuba Sitting in a Tree...

MEXICO CITY, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Mexican government said Tuesday that it would continue to push for the development of Mexico-Cuba relations to realize the normalization of bilateral ties at an early date.

The Foreign Ministry statement was issued following the announcement by Cuban leader Fidel Castro that he is stepping down as president of the Council of Ministers and president of the Council of the State of Cuba.

The statement reaffirmed Mexico's willingness to promote the development of its relations with Cuba, adding that Mexico respects the independent decision and the will of the Cuban people on the issue.

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Importance: Mexico is jumping to get a foot in Cuba since Castro seems to be out. Some rumors are going around that he's actually dead already, but we'll see. It's hard to guess how this will all turn out since Cuba has been introverted for so long.

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Turf Wars Continue

Juan Carlos Reyna had been driving a Jeep Liberty through Cancun's wealthiest neighborhood on a sweltering December afternoon when he was surrounded by three cars. A masked man bearing a Kalashnikov rifle leaned out of the car in front of him and shot Reyna in the head. Against all odds, the Cuban-American survived and was airlifted from Mexico's Caribbean resort to a U.S. hospital, where he is fighting for his life.

Others have been less fortunate. Since June, at least four Cuban-Americans, including Reyna's brother Maximiliano, have been shot dead on Cancun's glitzy boulevards in gangland-style hits. Mexican officials allege that these killings, and those of at least five Mexicans, stem from what they say is a turf war over lucrative human smuggling routes of Cubans via Mexico to the United States.

The blood being spilled in broad daylight in Mexico's most popular international tourist spot has raised the pressure on a police force already struggling against heavily armed drug cartels.

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Importance: This article shows that the U.S. may have immigration problems but, Mexico also has a severe problem. It will be interesting to see how how the two governments handle the situation.

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