MEXICO CITY (AP) âÄî Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department says it has approved Cuban-American Carlos Pascual as the new U.S. ambassador. Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa told reporters Mexico approved the new ambassador several days ago, though she did not say who it was. Foreign Relations Department spokesman Victor Aviles later told The Associated Press it was Pascual. Pascual served as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2000 to 2003. He is vice president and director of foreign policy for the Brookings Institution in Washington, where he focuses on post-conflict stabilization. Mexico and the United States are stepping up cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, with the U.S. government pledging to do more to stop gun trafficking south.