EMBASSY MOTIVATES GOE TO MOVE FORWARD ON TIP

UNCLAS QUITO 000078

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR WHA/PPC, WHA/AND, AND G/TIP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL EC
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MOTIVATES GOE TO MOVE FORWARD ON TIP

REF: SECSTATE 274736


1. (U) Summary: In a meeting on January 7, Minister of
Government Jaime Damerval expressed his commitment to
fighting trafficking in persons (TIP) to the Ambassador and
DCM. He subsequently convoked the first meeting of the GOE's
interinstitutional committee. He also re-assigned the
portfolio to U/S Vicente Olmedo. Presidential advisor Carlos
Polit also assured the DCM that TIP is one of President
Gutierrez's top priorities. End Summary.

Ministry of Government Called TIP Meeting
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2. (SBU) On January 7, in a wide-ranging conversation
(reported septel) Minister Damerval praised TIP as one of his
ministry's priorities. He was very enthusiastic but not
well-versed on the topic. The Ambassador emphasized the need
for Damerval to lead the government to take additional steps
to fight against trafficking including promoting legal
reforms and using them to prosecute traffickers. She
provided him a copy of the interim Tier 2 watch list report,
nothing that much more needed to be done. At her suggestion,
Damerval agreed to convoke the GOE's interinstitutional
committee. Damerval said he is a good friend of Omar
Quintana, the new president of Congress, and that he would
use his contacts to encourage Congress to pass TIP
legislation.


3. (U) Following up on the Ambassador's meeting, on January
11 PolOff met with Undersecretary of Government Vicente
Olmedo to whom Damerval assigned the trafficking portfolio.
Olmedo was not very knowledgeable about TIP but said he was
personally committed to fighting the problem. He confirmed
the inter-institutional meeting scheduled for January 13,
saying he would lead the GOE's committee with the assistance
of the Director of Gender Affairs, Nelly Jacome. (Jacome is
known favorably to us--she understands the TIP issue well.)
Olmedo invited PolOff to attend the interinstitutional
meeting and speak about the USG's TIP policy. PolOff
accepted and encouraged Olmedo to coordinate on combating TIP
with the Spanish and Peruvian embassies as well.

Presidency Re-commits to Fight Against TIP
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4. (U) Carlos Polit, high-level advisor to the President,
responded very positively to the DCM's call on January 3
explaining the interim assessment report and soliciting his
assistance in making trafficking a key item on the GOE's
agenda. Polit said President Gutierrez had told him on
January 2 that the government should focus on combating TIP.
Polit said he would consult with Damerval to move this issue
forward.

MFA Falling Behind
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5. (U) On January 4, PolOff met with Carmen Larrea, acting
director of the Human Rights Office at the MFA, to present
the GOE an advance copy of the interim watch list report, and
explain what we hope to see from the GOE in coming months:
i.e., legal reform, a national plan, and coordinated efforts
to put traffickers behind bars. Larrea was slightly
defensive but clearly understood the issue and the Embassy's
interest in seeing additional progress.

Comment:
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6. (U) The interim assessment report and the Ambassador's
meeting with Damerval set off positive events: a planned
meeting of the interinstitutional committee and assignment of
the TIP portfolio at the working level. The GOE's leaders
have been distracted with political stability issues for the
past few months but appear to be getting back on track with
TIP. We will attempt to take advantage of this momentum to
encourage key steps, such as development of a national plan,
progress on pending legislation, and prosecution of
traffickers.
KENNEY