U.S. Senate approves ambassador to Mexico

U.S. State Department official Roberta Jacobson, who led negotiations on normalization of ties with Cuba, was approved as the new American ambassador to Mexico on Tuesday by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Jacobson, currently the assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs, was approved by a vote of 12-7.

Her nomination had been delayed by some senators who oppose President Barack Obama's moves toward normalization of relations with Cuba.

Senator Robert Menendez, who disagrees with the Obama administration's Cuba policy, was the only Democratic committee member who voted against Jacobson. He read a statement before . . .