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Mexico: Ties With France Don't Hinge On Court Case

MEXICO CITY (AP) - A Mexican assistant foreign minister says her country's bilateral relationship with France should not hang on a court case involving a French citizen.

Lourdes Aranda Bezaury has requested to speak with French Ambassador to Mexico Daniel Parfait to discuss his country's reaction to a ruling by a Mexican appeals court, which on Thursday upheld the 60-year sentence of Frenchwoman Florence Cassez for kidnapping.

French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said Friday that she will snub France's yearlong festival celebrating Mexican culture because of the ruling.

Aranda responded that France should consider the Cassez case "in its proper dimension" and noted that France invited Mexico to stage the "Year of Mexico" celebration throughout 2011.

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