AMLO "pauses" diplomatic relations with the US

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has put "on pause" the relationship with U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar for his criticism of the Mexican president's controversial judicial reform.

"How are we going to allow him to give his opinion that what we are doing is wrong?" AMLO questioned the diplomat on Tuesday, despite saying that the relationship in general terms was "good." The "pause," he detailed, was not against the U.S. government, but only against Salazar.

A day later, the United States backed up the "concerns" of its ambassador. "Salazar and I share a deep respect for Mexico's sovereignty," wrote Brian Nichols, the chief Latin American diplomat. "As partners and friends, we share our concerns about the proposed constitutional reforms."

The most controversial point of the judicial reform is the election through popular vote of ministers, magistrates and judges. Salazar had pointed out that this initiative represented "a major risk to the functioning of Mexico's democracy." Among other criticisms, he noted that it would put business between the two countries at risk and put the judicial system in the hands of drug traffickers.