-Caveat Lector- Mexico rejects British explanations on cavers Sat 27 March, 2004 09:31
By Catherine Bremer and Tim Gaynor MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A diplomatic rift between Britain and Mexico has deepened after President Vicente Fox refused to accept London's explanation of what a British military group was doing in a Mexican cave system. Fox said Britain had not clarified questions about the six cave explorers, four of them members of the military, who were plucked from a cavern late on Thursday after spending 11 days underground. Flood waters trapped them in the caves. "We received a reply to our request from Britain, but it is frankly unsatisfactory, we need more clarification about what this was about," Fox told a news conference in Nicaragua on Friday, where he is on an official visit. The cavers had been expected to fly to London on Friday, but after a full day of questioning by immigration officers in Mexico City, they were held overnight while investigators determined if they had violated any laws, immigration officials said. Mexico's attorney general's office said it was investigating media reports that the cavers were scouting for deposits of potentially radioactive materials. Britain's Ministry of Defence denied the reports. "We have made our position very clear. They were on an adventure training exercise -- they were not exploring for uranium," an MoD spokesman said on Saturday. He said it was unclear when the explorers would be permitted to return to Britain. Mexico's Energy Ministry said its experts found normal levels of radioactivity at the caves. "There is no scientific reason to believe the zone is rich in radioactive material," the ministry said. Mexico does not allow foreign military exercises on its soil. The Mexican government is upset it was not told in advance of the presence of the expedition, most of whose members belonged to an enthusiasts' group made up of active and retired British soldiers and civilians in the MoD. Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez spoke in strong terms. "We are not going to tolerate on this occasion that no one explains to us exactly what their citizens were doing here," he said in comments published in the Mexican press. RELATIONS SENSITIVE Mexico's relations with Britain were already strained over allegations that Britain helped the United States spy on Mexico's U.N. mission in the run-up to the Iraq war. After receiving medical checks at a military hospital, the cavers were brought in minibuses for questioning in Mexico City on Friday, accompanied by trucks bearing rifle-toting members of a special police force. The cavers were trapped by surging underground flood waters two days into a exploration trip in the Cuetzalan caves in Puebla province. The British Embassy had originally described them as being on a scientific mission and later clarified this to say they were mapping the cave complex, one of the most extensive in the world. Fox had asked on Wednesday for a "swift" explanation of what the foreign soldiers were doing in the caves. Britain said its minister for Latin America, Bill Rammell, met Mexico's ambassador in London on Friday afternoon and thanked him for help in getting the group out safely. "We respect the Mexican authorities' need to clarify their immigration status," Rammell said, adding that he hoped the incident "could be resolved as quickly as possible." www.ctrl.org DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
