Vicente Fox, president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006 is in Spain fomenting economic relations between the two countries. However, it hasn't stopped him from weighing in in the current allegations that the NSA spied on his successor Felipe Calderón's government. "It's nothing new that there is spying on all governments of the world, including Mexico's. I don't know why all of the sudden Mexico is offended if they also have their intelligence agencies, research and espionage. We're all being spied on. All citizens, anywhere in the world," said Fox in a recent interview with Spanish media.
Fox added that during his presidential campaign in 2000 and while he was president, the United States government spied on him, as well as Cuba's ex-president, Fidel Castro, who in 2002, revealed a private phone conversation between him and Fox. "To be doing this world claim to stop the U.S. from spying, well ... when will Mexico stop spying? I was being followed all the time, step by step, every day during my presidential campaign. With video and audio recordings and so on. Everyone does it, that's something we need to understand," he added.
Fox, however, claimed it didn't bother him that he was being spied on. "It's all about being confident in myself. If I don't want people to find out secrets, I shouldn't have them. No government should have them. What are they hiding? What is bothering them? Why is the U.S. looking so preoccupied? They're doing bad things, like human rights violations in Guantanamo, or the conflict between the federal law and state laws when it comes to drug legalization. Things should be transparent. Everyone will do better if they think they're being spied on," he said.
Nevertheless, he understands why Calderón is so worried and asked José Antonio Meade, Mexico's foreign minister to communicate his most energetic protest against the espionage of which he was object, because he does have a secret. "Ex-president Calderón has something to hide, 80 thousand dead in his legislation," he revealed. Calderón said that he would be observing the steps taken by the ministry "in demanding explanations of the United States and a corresponding assigning of responsibilities" and that "insofar as the Ministry carries out its duties," he would not be making any more statements on the matter.
Fox, however, doesn't sweat it. "People should be used to it," he said. "Everyone spies, so there's nothing new. I don't understand why it is such a scandal."
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