GUTIERREZ CANCELS NEW YORK TRIP

UNCLAS QUITO 002868 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL EC SUBJECT: GUTIERREZ CANCELS NEW YORK TRIP REF: GUAYAQUIL 1231 ¶1. Summary. On October 27, President Gutierrez told the Ambassador he had canceled his planned early November trip to New York in order to work in Ecuador on judicial reform projects and programs to spur economic growth. Gutierrez hopes the press will portray his decision as a need to focus on important national issues and not as a fear of leaving the country in light of impeachment rumors. End Summary. ¶2. In an October 27 meeting with the Ambassador, Gutierrez informed her he had canceled his trip to New York. Gutierrez had planned to travel on November 1 to meet with business leaders and promote trade with Ecuador. ¶3. Gutierrez told the Ambassador he envisions judicial reform and economic growth to be his legacy. Gutierrez said he plans to work over the Ecuadorian holiday weekend (October 30 - November 3) and was particularly concerned about corruption in the judicial system. He wants to stop the common practice of people filing legal complaints (often without much cause) as a means of retaliation. ¶4. Gutierrez also recognized that the media might portray the cancellation of his trip as a victory for the Social Christian Party (PSC) in its efforts to impeach him for alleged inappropriate use of public funds for campaign travel (Reftel). The Ambassador suggested that if pressed, Gutierrez tell the press that she recommended he not travel at this time due to elections in the U.S. on November 2. Moreover, he had recently met with USTR negotiator Regina Vargo to discuss commercial and labor issues and was in regular touch with other USG officials (Septel). ¶5. Comment. We believe Gutierrez made the right decision by staying home to work. He would have trouble getting the meetings he wants on such short notice, with potential U.S. interlocutors focused on elections. He has a full international calendar in November with the Ibero American Summit, CAN events, and President Fox's visit. Finally, as Ecuador suffers from rampant corruption and grave poverty, any dedicated time spent on judicial reform and programs to spur economic growth is time well spent. End Comment. KENNEY