PRES. PALACIO ON NEW AMB. TO U.S., REPLACEMENT FM

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 001926 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/2015 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR EC SUBJECT: PRES. PALACIO ON NEW AMB. TO U.S., REPLACEMENT FM Classified By: PolChief Erik Hall for reasons 1.4 (b&d) ¶1. (C) Summary: President Alfredo Palacio told the Charge that he would name career diplomat Luis Gallegos Chiriboga to be Ecuador's Ambassador to the U.S. shortly. He also said he intended to replace FM Parra with another career Ecuadorian and UN diplomat, Diego Cordovez. End Summary. ¶2. (C) In a one-on-one meeting with Charge on August 17, President Palacio said he would soon name Ambassador to the UN Luis Gallegos Chiriboga as Ecuador's new Ambassador-designate to the U.S., replacing Alvaro Perez, whose name was recently withdrawn by the GOE. Gallegos has the full confidence of the President for this position, but would not be able to take up his duties in Washington until after the UNGA meetings in September. ¶3. (C) The Charge suggested the GOE nominate Gallegos soonest, so that the agrement process could take place in the meantime. Palacio said he would do so. ¶4. (C) Palacio said he was displeased with the preformance of FM Antonio Parra Gil, and would replace him in "a month or two" with Diego Cordovez, a respected Ecuadorian diplomat who had also served as a high UN official. ¶5. (C) Comment: The Embassy searched its databases and has no derogatory information on Gallegos, and will report bio information once the agrement request has been received. We will make and report results of similar information on Cordovez. MEMMOTT