U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto walk out after finishing a press conference at the Los Pinos residence in Mexico City, Mexico, August 31, 2016. REUTERS/Henry Romero |
President
Enrique Pena Nieto had on Wednesday afternoon hailed as "open and
constructive" the impromptu meeting he held with Trump, who later
referred to the Mexican leader as his friend and a "wonderful"
president.
But
in a late evening television interview, an angry-looking Pena Nieto
sought to defend himself against a broad swathe of criticism for his
decision to invite the Republican candidate despite his repeated verbal
attacks on Mexico.
"His
policy stances could represent a huge threat to Mexico, and I am not
prepared to keep my arms crossed and do nothing," Pena Nieto said. "That
risk, that threat, must be confronted. I told him that is not the way
to build a mutually beneficial relationship for both nations."
Trump's
quick acceptance of an invitation sent last Friday took Mexico's
government by surprise, and his visit to Mexico City came just hours
ahead of a keynote speech on immigration as he sought to close the gap
on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
He
spoke of Mexican-Americans in glowing terms and stressed the areas of
common interest between the two countries even as he stuck to his
message that he would put up the wall.
Pena
Nieto had likened Trump to dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini
earlier this year. But his government said Trump understood its concerns
at the meeting, making Pena Nieto's tense appearance on television the
more surprising.
"What
we saw was a respectful attitude and discourse from Donald Trump,"
presidential spokesman Eduardo Sanchez had said earlier, arguing that
progress was made on the issue of trade after prior threats by Trump to
tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
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