Mexico's relations with Cuba are likely to return to normal despite remarks by Cuban President Fidel Castro that irked the Mexican government, well-placed Mexican officials say.

``We didn't appreciate what he said,'' a senior Mexican government official told The Herald on Saturday, referring to Castro's remarks to a group of Latin American economic officials last week. ``But it's not likely to develop into a big issue.''

Castro said at a conference on Latin American integration in Havana on Wednesday that Mexico had ``turned its back'' on Latin America by signing a free-trade agreement with the United States, and that many Mexicans could identify Mickey Mouse more readily than they could name the father of their country.

Castro's remarks were highly unusual, because Mexico has long been Cuba's closest ally in Latin America, and Castro has gone out of his way not to antagonize the Mexican government.

``We realize that [Castro] was speaking casually,'' the Mexican official said. ``We simply want to make the point that we did not like it.''

Mexico's ambassador to Cuba, Pedro Joaquin Coldwell, was quoted by the Mexican daily El Universal on Saturday as saying that last week's incident ``has already been resolved . . . at the highest diplomatic level.''

Cuba said Saturday that reporters had taken Castro's quotes out of context, and that Castro had made his statements ``in a discreet and familiar environment'' during the conference.

``Nobody has the right to create intrigue between Mexico and Cuba,'' the Cuban Foreign Ministry said, referring to press accounts of the meeting.

In a statement late Friday, Mexican Foreign Minister Rosario Green said she had expressed her country's ``profound amazement'' at Castro's remarks to the Cuban ambassador to Mexico, and had recalled Mexico's ambassador from Cuba ``for consultations.''

Coldwell will meet with Green on Monday, officials said.