Mexico honour for US's Kushner sparks criticism

Image source, Reuters

Image caption, Other recipients have included Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Nelson Mandela

Mexico's outgoing leader is to give President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner the country's top honour for foreigners, sparking criticism from prominent Mexicans.

Mr Kushner, a White House adviser, is to join the Order of the Aztec Eagle for his work on a US-Mexico trade deal.

Outgoing president Enrique Pe帽a Nieto will give him the award on Thursday at the G20 world leaders summit in Argentina, reports said.

The decision trended on social media.

Recalling that Mr Trump described Mexicans as murderers and rapists during the 2016 election campaign, Historian Enrique Krauze said it "reflects a supreme attitude of humiliation and cowardice".

Actor Gael Garcia Bernal meanwhile said it was "tremendously shameful".

Previous awardees of the Order of the Aztec Eagle include Colombian Nobel winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez and former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Mr Kushner held meetings with Mexico's leadership and top officials from other countries as he helped broker the new trade deal, known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. Mexico reached agreement with the US in August while Canada joined in September.

It came after Mr Trump threatened to pull the US out of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, arguing that it was unfair on the US.

On Saturday Mr Pe帽a Nieto's successor, President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, will be inaugurated following his landslide election victory in July.

Mr Kushner's wife Ivanka Trump and US Vice-President Mike Pence are expected to be among the US officials attending his swearing-in.