AMBASSADOR PROMOTES SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT ON

UNCLAS QUITO 001284

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL MARR MASS MOPS SNAR PTER EC CO
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR PROMOTES SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT ON
NORTHERN BORDER



1. (SBU) Summary: The Ambassador visited the remote Carchi
province on May 18 to highlight USG investment in security
and development on Ecuador's northern border with Colombia.
While there, the Ambassador met with military and police
officials, toured a customs and immigration post, hosted a
luncheon with USG and GOE stakeholders in regional
development, inaugurated a USAID-supported clean water
project, and met with the local press. The visit was well
received, advancing USG efforts to increase awareness of USG
social and security investments in the region. End Summary.

Ambassador Discusses Security with the 39th Army Battalion
-------------- --------------


2. (SBU) The Ambassador began with a visit to the 39th Army
Battalion headquarters in Tulcan, Carchi province. The 39th
Battalion Commander, Colonel Galo Cruz, told the Ambassador
that there are more than 24 known illegal crossing points in
his sector, giving Colombian illegal armed groups easy access
to Ecuadorian territory. He explained the logistical and
resource challenges his unit faces in securing the porous
border, and lamented the lack of a greater Colombian military
presence along the shared border. Cruz reiterated the GOE
position that Ecuador will not get involved in Colombia's
internal conflict, but said that the GOE is committed to
controlling and protecting Ecuadorian territory. The
Ambassador commended COL Cruz for GOE efforts, and expressed
USG commitment to help Ecuador address these regional
security threats.


3. (SBU) The 39th Army Battalion is the main unit in the
13th Brigade and is responsible for the largest sector within
the Carchi province, which includes 90 miles of the 400-mile
border with Colombia. The 39th is operating at 90% its
personnel capacity, making it one of the strongest Ecuadorian
Army units. Illicit cross-border activity is fluid, with
drugs and other contraband exiting Colombia through numerous
illegal crossing points, trails, and dirt roads. FARC and
ELN rebels are able to enter/exit the two countries with
relative ease when not in uniform. The Colombian military
has a permanent presence at the Rumichaca border crossing
point, with a second small detachment opposite Tufino,
Ecuador. Communication between Ecuadorian and Colombian
forces in the sector is good, with regular intelligence
sharing for force protection needs.

Ambassador Visits Checkpoint
--------------


4. (SBU) The Ambassador met with Anti-Narcotics Police
Commander for Carchi Lt. Colonel Claudio Guerra at the
region's only legal crossing point, the Rumichaca Bridge
Customs and Immigration Complex. Guerra said that the
Rumichaca facility is inundated with traffic, but
unfortunately lacks the space necessary to more thoroughly
search vehicles. Guerra,s team showed off USG-provided gear
such as fiber optic tools and ion scanners, used to detect
drugs in vehicles. He thanked the Ambassador for the $1.7
million NAS will spend to construct a new police checkpoint
in Tulcan, saying that it would help alleviate the burden
placed on the Rumichaca facility. The Ambassador commended
police efforts and expressed the continuing U.S. commitment
to helping the anti-narcotics unit improve facilities and
drug detection capabilities.


5. (SBU) Anti-narcotics police efforts in Carchi are
complicated by the extensive network of secondary roads that
parallel and extend across the Colombian border throughout
the province. NAS-funded vehicles and fuel to both the
police and military in this region have allowed the police to
expand patrolling and assert more control over Ecuadorian
territory. The new police base will also improve GOE ability
to monitor the growing truck traffic on the Pan American
Highway between Colombia and Ecuador, and better monitor the
large warehouse in Tulcan where vehicles and merchandise are
stored until cleared by customs.

Ambassador Pushes Development Agenda
--------------


6. (SBU) The Ambassador, USAID Director, Northern Border
Development Unit Director Maxamiliano Donoso, and several
local officials inaugurated a USAID funded clean water
project in the town of Cristobal Colon, Carchi. Over 200

residents attended the ceremony, profusely thanking the
Ambassador for the USG investment in their community's public
health. The Ambassador noted the importance of such projects
to improve public health, and voiced firm USG commitment to
assist with development efforts in the northern border region.


7. (SBU) The Ambassador also hosted a luncheon to highlight
USG and GOE development and security efforts in the region.
The meeting was attended by Acting Carchi Prefect Manuel
Revelo, Carchi Governor Bolivar Chamarro, Acting Tulcan Mayor
Llia Castilo, Espejo Mayor Lenin Carrera, Montufar Mayor
Homero Cadena, and Mira Mayor Fausto Ruiz. Colonel Galo Cruz
and Lt. Colonel Claudio Guerra also attended. The Ambassador
told the group that the U.S. had invested over $6 million in
Carchi since 2001 to fund potable water, sanitation,
infrastructure, and civil society development programs. She
noted that these efforts aim to improve the quality of life
of northern border residents, and reflect USG commitment to
continue to work with Ecuador to provide a better future in a
region beset by illicit trade. Local and regional officials
thanked the Ambassador for USG support, with several saying
that additional funds for development and security projects
were desperately needed.

Press Coverage
--------------


8. (U) The Ambassador's visit received extensive national
and local media coverage, underscoring her message of U.S.
support for both northern border development and security,
and countering the impression that the GOE's decision to
confiscate Occidental Petroleum could undermine broader
bilateral relations. Coverage included a lengthy piece on a
nationally viewed evening news broadcast and articles in both
Quito and Guayaquil,s major dailies, as well as more
populist nationally circulating dailies. Coverage
highlighted plans for the construction of a NAS-financed
counter drug control post, as well as the Ambassador's
statement of commitment to continue US support for Ecuadorian
efforts to protect its borders and sovereignty.

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


9. (SBU) The Ambassador's visit to Carchi provided an
excellent opportunity for her to highlight U.S. support to
the region, while pushing for greater security and
development investment. Ecuadorian military and police
officials in Carchi are well aware of the security threat
posed by FARC, ELN and other illegal armed groups operating
at their border. They are using limited resources,
equipment, and personnel to safeguard Ecuadorian territory
and provide licit economic opportunities for their residents,
and deserve our continued support. Local police, military,
and government officials are making considerable ground on
both the security and development fronts, despite
nationalistic politics.
JEWELL