ECUADOR "STILL STUDYING" NPT STRENGTHENING

UNCLAS QUITO 000400 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NP/MNA; GENEVA FOR CD; USUN FOR POL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM KNNP EC NPT IAEA SUBJECT: ECUADOR "STILL STUDYING" NPT STRENGTHENING REF: STATE 18228 ¶1. In response to Reftel, the Embassy delivered non-paper to Ruben Herrera, the Technical Agencies officer in the MFA's Multilateral Affairs directorship general. In a follow-up telcon February 17, Herrera stated the Foreign Ministry could not yet comment on the U.S. proposal to beef up Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) enforcement measures at the upcoming NPT review conference. Specialized entities within the GoE, namely Ecuador's Atomic Energy Agency, were still analyzing our non-paper. Herrera hoped to have their input the week of February 21, at which time he would seek a sit-down with Embassy staff to discuss this and other pending demarches. ¶2. Regarding Reftel request for Embassy comment on the utility of various Public Diplomacy (PD) tools in winning Ecuador's support for NPT strengthening, we consider that placement of USG-drafted articles in local print media the best weapon available. There simply is not sufficient interest here in nuclear non-proliferation efforts to justify investments in DVCs, expert visits, and NGO cultivation. Conventional arms proliferation and regional security issues do have an Ecuadorian audience, however, owing to the proximity of the Colombian conflict and Ecuador's role as a conduit country for FARC-bound weapons. We thus suggest that, for maximum impact, any articles for placement treat nuclear proliferation as one component of a broader arms trafficking problem. Chacon