Mexican FM to meet with top Trump aides in Washington

Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray is to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump's cabinet members in Washington on Wednesday to discuss bilateral relations, the ministry said in a statement on Wdnesday.

"This visit continues the dialogue and communication that the presidents of both countries agreed to in recent days," said the statement.

Videgaray is to hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of National Security John Kelly on "topics of the bilateral agenda billed as a priority by President Enrique Pena Nieto," including protecting the rights of Mexican immigrants in the U.S., migration, border security and infrastructure.

The term "border infrastructure" is taken to mean the controversial wall Trump wants to build along the shared border of the two countries.

Mexico is against the wall and has refused to pay for the project as requested by Trump. It remains to be seen what mechanism the U.S. will put in place to recoup the expense.

Hours prior to the meetings, Trump told an audience of law enforcement officials "the wall is getting designed right now," and promised it would be a "great wall."

Trump said the wall is needed to prevent illicit drugs and illegal migrants from crossing into the country.

For that reason, Pena Nieto cancelled a scheduled meeting with Trump on Jan. 31, and bilateral ties got tense since then. Endit