MANAGUA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. ambassador to Nicaragua Robert Callahan will not be expelled from the country for criticizing the judicial sentence allowing the presidential reelection in Nicaragua, Vice Foreign Minister Manuel Coronel said on Monday.

    Callahan will not be expelled, but the Nicaraguan government will pay attention to his future behavior, Coronel said.

    During a speech at the American-Nicaraguan Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) last week, Callahan criticized the ruling of the Supreme Court in favor of the appeal allowing Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to seek reelection.

    Coronel said Callahan must understand the message of the people, who finally decide whether an ambassador is not welcome in the country.

    "To declare an ambassador as non-welcome, it is not a decision of the government, but the will of the people," Coronel told TV channel Canal 15.

    On Saturday, Ortega said his government would keep respectful ties with the United States and urged U.S. officials not to "interfere" into Nicaragua's internal affairs.