Montevideo, Dec 10 (IANS/EFE) A restaurant in Uruguay's capital Montevideo barred a black diplomat from the US Embassy from entering its premises, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.
The person in charge of seating diners at tables in the Circus restaurant did not allow the diplomat to enter, saying, first, that she had no reservation, and secondly, that she was not dressed properly, Uruguayan daily El Observador said Tuesday.
The African American woman replied that the real reason they did not let her in was the color of her skin, the daily said.
US diplomatic sources confirmed the truth of the incident as reported but declined to provide further details pending a possible legal case.
In this regard, the US ambassador to Uruguay, Julissa Reynoso, told local media that she and her colleagues were weighing what action could be taken against the perpetrators.
Reynoso also expressed surprise at the restaurant's "level of ignorance" which "was not in tune with Uruguayan culture and the standards of the country" and said that embassy personnel will "not set foot in that place in the future."
Deputy finance and economy minister and acting foreign minister of Uruguay, Luis Porto, said he is waiting to receive a formal note about what happened to open a legal case "it is necessary to make the corresponding complaint to the judiciary."
--IANS/EFE
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