AMBASSADOR VISITS COASTAL CITY HOSTING FIRST U.S.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 QUITO 000369

SIPDIS

FOR G/TIP LINDA BROWN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS PHUM KWMN EC
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR VISITS COASTAL CITY HOSTING FIRST U.S.
SHIP VISIT



1. Summary: During a two-day trip to the northern coastal
city of Esmeraldas, the Ambassador visited with local
officials and highlighted the positive impact of U.S.
assistance on the province. Our emphasis on both security
and development resonated, even in a city dominated by the
far-left People's Democratic Movement (MPD) party. Residents
were more concerned about local issues than with ongoing
political power struggles going on at the national level.
The Ambassador visited a Peace Corps site and participated in
a well-attended reception on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter
(USCGC) Mellon conducting the first ever port visit by a U.S.
vessel to Esmeraldas. Also, the Ambassador met with a
women's rights group, attended a ceremony for vehicles
donated to the Ecuadorian Armed Forces, gave a radio
interview, and met with the city's popular mayor. End
Summary.

Warm Reception at Peace Corps Site
--------------


2. On February 10, the Ambassador visited a Peace Corps
Volunteer site in Los Ebanos, a poor suburb of Esmeraldas
still without potable water. The volunteer is collaborating
with the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health on sexual education
and HIV/AIDS prevention in the community and helping the
build a community library. The residents gave the Ambassador
a warm reception in their basic schoolhouse and emphasized
that they hoped that they could keep working with Peace Corps
volunteers on sustainable projects. The community leaders
said finishing the library project was their primary goal.

Ship Reception A Success
--------------


3. The Ambassador attended a February 10 ship reception
aboard the USCGC Mellon, the first U.S. ship visit in recent
history to the Esmeraldas port. The ship's Commanding
Officer explained its operations in the Eastern Pacific.
USCGC Mellon, along with only four other U.S. ships, is
responsible for patrolling an area the size of the
continental United States. The Ambassador emphasized that
the Embassy values the difficult work carried out by Coast
Guard ships patrolling off the coast of Ecuador, including
their recent rescue of 75 Ecuadorian migrants. The
Ambassador said we should not let bad press on U.S. "boat
sinkings" (referring to damaged migrant ships posing a threat
in international waters) deter us from the serious work the
Coast Guard is doing to capture drug shipment and rescue
migrants from dangerously overloaded smuggling vessels.
Several Peace Corps volunteers also attended the ship
reception and would later explain the purpose of the ship
visit to their communities.

Women's Forum Impressive
--------------


4. On February 11, the Ambassador met with eight women of
the Women's Permanent Forum who in 2002 participated in the
Voluntary Visitors program. The Forum, whose main activities
are fighting gender violence and defending the rights of
women, is well-run and deals with social issues in one of
Ecuador's poorest provinces. The women said their visit to
the U.S. had helped to clarify and increase the reach of
their goals. These include working to get increased
involvement from their local government as well as creating a
shelter for victims of gender violence. The Ambassador
encouraged them to include Trafficking in Persons (TIP)
victims in this shelter. The Ambassador also discussed the
possibility of a future information campaign to help educate
about the dangers of TIP. The women's forum was receptive to
these TIP-related ideas; the Embassy's TIP coordinator will
follow-up. The Peace Corps Deputy Director confirmed plans
to place a Peace Corps volunteer with the women's forum.

Highlighting USG Assistance
--------------


5. At the Ecuadorian Army's 25th Special Forces Battalion on
February 11, the Army explained how with SOUTHCOM
Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) assistance, they are
carrying out mobile medical outreach in the communities they
patrol. SOUTHCOM's HAP assistance will provide $50,000 for
25 First Aid stations. The Ambassador then participated in a
ceremony donating 38 tactical vehicles (Humvees and Five-ton
trucks) worth approximately $470,000 to the Ecuadorian
military. Nationwide, the U.S. has donated 196 tactical
vehicles to the Ecuadorian Armed Forces.


6. The Ambassador gave a radio interview with Radio Union on
February 11. The Ambassador emphasized that Esmeraldas is
one of the Ecuadorian provinces that receives the most USG
assistance and that it is currently benefiting economically
from the USCGC Mellon's visit. Interviewers asked whether
the ship visit in Esmeraldas implied the U.S. wanted to set
up another "base" in Esmeraldas (a reference to the
Cooperative Security Location in Manta). The Ambassador
clarified that the base in Manta is Ecuadorian and the U.S.
military is present there at the invitation of the GOE.
Interviewers also asked about the current national political
situation as well as the marches in Quito scheduled for
February 16. The Ambassador stated that USG support for
democratic institutions is clear; we support peaceful
demonstrations as expressions of democracy. Asked whether
the U.S. Embassy would mediate in current national political
disputes, the Ambassador stated that these issues were for
Ecuadorians to resolve.

Mayor Focused on Local Issues
--------------


7. The Ambassador then met with the recently re-elected
mayor of Esmeraldas, Ernesto Estupinan, of the far-left MPD.
The mayor stated that in his province there was not much
focus on national politics as the players on the national
scene were seen as acting only in their own personal interest
rather on behalf of their constituents. On the Supreme Court
controversy, the mayor said that for national politicians
what is "constitutional" is what serves their purposes at the
moment.


8. The mayor expressed concern of growing evidence of money
laundering in Esmeraldas. While he does not have proof, his
concern was that with few local employment opportunities,
many Esmeraldenos are vulnerable to illicit activities. The
mayor believes that public safety is closely tied to economic
development and employment opportunities. He claims local
unemployment to be 56%. The mayor hopes to create more of an
economic strategic partnership with Quito (noting a local
rivalry with Guayaquil). Asked by the Ambassador how his
community viewed the USCGC Mellon's visit, the mayor
responded very positively, saying residents saw it as
bringing commerce to their province. The mayor expressed
hope that U.S. ships would visit Esmeraldas in the future.
The mayor was also receptive to the Ambassador's offer to
send representatives to Esmeraldas to provide information on
the free trade agreement Ecuador is currently negotiating
with the U.S.

Comment
--------------


9. The first visit of a U.S. ship to the Esmeraldas port was
a great success with the locals. We hope to build on the
goodwill generated by the ship visit in various ways. We
plan to encourage regular ship visits to Esmeraldas in the
future. Embassy representatives will visit Esmeraldas to
advance USG goals by coordinating with the Women's Forum on
TIP issues, providing information on the free trade
agreement, and coordinating cultural exchanges and placement
of Peace Corps volunteers. We continue to be impressed by
the dichotomy in this country between local governance, where
pragmatic leaders from a variety of political parties pursue
practical responses to real social needs, and the national
political scene, which emphasizes conflict and personality
over progress.
Kenney