MEXICO CITY - (AP) -- President Vicente Fox apologized to those who believe he lied about rushing Cuban President
  Fidel Castro out of Mexico, but Mexico's foreign secretary on Thursday accused the Cuban leader of trying to blackmail
  Fox.

  Foreign Secretary Jorge Castañeda accused Castro of trying to blackmail Mexico into voting against a U.N. resolution
  targeting Cuba's human rights record -- and then, after Mexico voted for it, trying to embarrass Fox by making public a
  private conversation between the two leaders.

  ''It was blackmail, and the release of the conversation was revenge, a vile revenge,'' Castañeda told TV Azteca.

  The interview continued an unprecedented war of words between Cuba and Mexico, long Castro's most valued friend in
  Latin America.

  In late March, Castro accused Mexican officials of hurrying him out of a major summit in Monterrey at the bidding of
  President Bush. Fox denied hustling Castro out.

  Castro was enraged last week when Mexico ended a tradition of abstaining on U.N. human rights resolutions targeting
  the island. On Monday, he released the tape recording in which Fox clearly prodded Castro to leave Mexico on March 21
  -- a day before Bush was to arrive.

  Fox has continued to deny pressuring Castro, asserting he was just trying to cope with Castro's last-minute
  announcement he would attend the 187-nation meeting.

  Castañeda on Thursday said Fox had wanted to get Castro out of town for reasons other than Bush's arrival.

  ''The problem was not Bush,'' Castañeda said. ''The problem was that Castro had threatened, through his acts, to
  dedicate himself to internal politics in Mexico.'' Castañeda cited planned meetings with Mexican news media and
  anti-globalization protesters.

  Castañeda said Fox also wanted to avoid having Castro disrupt the summit by squabbling with the United States or
  protesting the ''Consensus of Monterrey,'' an agreement on financial aid for poor nations signed by virtually all of the
  nations at the event.