Cuba did not warn Mexico in time of the presence of Luis Posada Carriles, a Venezuelan citizen accused of terrorism by Cuba and Venezuela, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Alberto Derbez said Thursday.

The Mexican government did know where and with whom Posada was in March when he entered the United States via Mexico, Derbez told Radio W in Luxembourg, where he attended a meeting with European Union representatives.

He added that Havana "let him (Posada) pass, although it knew where he was."

The foreign minister said that if Mexico had learned of his presence, Posada would have been arrested and extradited to Venezuela, which indicted him for having detonated a bomb in a Cuban airliner, killing 73 people in 1976.

He said he will reply to the Cuban government in a note to affirm that there is no legal record about Posada's presence in Mexico.

Posada, 77, was born in Cuba and gained Venezuelan citizenship in 1960. He was sentenced to jail in Venezuela after participating in the 1976 bomb attack.

After a successful escape from prison in Venezuela in 1985, Posada was involved in a series of bomb attacks in Havana and attempts to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro.

Posada illegally entered the United States two months ago and tried to seek asylum there through his lawyer in April.

The Venezuelan government asked the United States to extradite Posada to Venezuela right after Posada's appealing for the US asylum.

In mid May, Washington arrested Posada for having entered US territory illegally, but has so far refused to hand him over to Venezuela.

Mexico said Posada entered its territory illegally on his way to the United States, but Derbez made clear his government will simply send him on to Venezuela if the US government extradites him to Mexico.

"He is a terrorist and has to receive the treatment of a terrorist," the foreign minister said.

Source: Xinhua