Why is the Mexican President in Cuba?

Mexico's President Calderon

President Felipe Calderón has just a few months left to cement — a dangerous word in the post-Macondo world — his presidential legacy in the oil sector.

His visit to Cuba is intended to sell the Cuban government on the wisdom of the global template that his government negotiated with the United States on the subject of cross-border oilfields. The vision of that template is the eventual creation of a common set of operating and safety rules for the Gulf of Mexico, a goal that will take years (and, unfortunately, the passing of don Fidel) to achieve.

As the Mexican press tells the story, Calderón’s visit is all about wanting an agreement for Pemex to operate in Cuban waters, with the notion that it could do so with “its partner,” Repsol. While such an idea might be worth pursuing for the future, its time table could not be before 2020 at the soonest.

The real motive of the visit is to encourage the Cuban government to start the process of normalizing its maritime boundary with Mexico in relation to hydrocarbons CONTINUE READING this article in the Cuba Standard