U.S.-Owned Hotel Sparks Conflict in Mexico (re: Bush Treasury Dept order)

[Judi Lynn]

U.S.-Owned Hotel Sparks Conflict in Mexico
By E. EDUARDO CASTILLO
Associated Press Writer

February 28, 2006, 4:23 PM EST

MEXICO CITY -- City officials were attempting Tuesday to shut down a U.S.-owned hotel in Mexico City that drew condemnation from the government after its manager kicked out a Cuban delegation under pressure from Washington.

Officials from the city borough where the Hotel Sheraton Maria Isabel is located posted signs across its front entrance saying "due to infringement of local law, the Sheraton Hotel activities have been suspended. We are sorry for the inconvenience that this has caused. Thank you for your understanding."
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Borough officials closed the front entrance, as authorities notified hotel staff. Guests were seen using a side door.

Local officials had said they were investigating the hotel -- located near the U.S. Embassy -- for violations of ordinances after its manager expelled 16 Cuban officials, who were attending a Feb. 2 meeting with American energy executives to discuss possible investment opportunities in the oil industry.

Officials at the U.S. Treasury Department later said if the hotel had not expelled the Cubans, it would have been in violation of an embargo against the communist island.

The act outraged many Mexicans who saw it as an attempt to force a foreign law on Mexican soil.
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http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-mexico-us-cuba,0,5438838.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines