ECUADOR ENUNCIATES ZERO TOLERANCE ALONG NORTHERN

S E C R E T QUITO 001064

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: TWENTY YEARS
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS PTER EC CO
SUBJECT: ECUADOR ENUNCIATES ZERO TOLERANCE ALONG NORTHERN
BORDER

REF: A. QUITO 357

B. QUITO 1042

C. QUITO 1059

D. QUITO 330

E. QUITO 53

Classified By: Ambassador Heather M. Hodges for Reasons 1.4 (b&d)


1. (S/NF) Summary: The Correa administration is enunciating
a policy of "zero tolerance" and has issued strong warnings
that it will use force against "illegal armed forces" or
incursions by Colombian security units along its northern
border. The warnings to the FARC have been public and
vigorous; the warnings to Colombia have so far been implied,
or in private to the USG (Ref C). President Correa clearly
wants to appear tough on the FARC, and also wants to show
support for the Ecuadorian military as it incurs casualties
in its increased operations in the northern border region.
The threat of force against the FARC is not new, a threat of
force against Colombian armed forces, if true, raises
concern. While a senior Ecuadorian military officer repeated
to the Embassy on November 14 that Ecuador "is deploying"
MANPADS to the northern border region, other senior officers
downplayed any change in posture, asserting that MANPADS had
not been moved and that there was no increased risk of clash
with Colombian military. (End Summary)


2. (U) President Correa issued a strong statement to the
FARC on November 12 that Ecuadorian security forces would
attack if fired upon. "We shall respond with full force,
enough is enough... and these FARC people better not dare
fire even a single shot at an Ecuadorian soldier again."
Correa made the statement during a visit to the residence of
Second Corporal Jose Luis Estevez Pailacho, an Ecuadorian
soldier who was wounded during a patrol operation in
Sucumbios province, along the northern border. The
Ecuadorian military patrol unit encountered a FARC base and
was ambushed. Due to an allegedly delayed rescue, the
soldier's leg was amputated. Correa made similar statements
in April 2008 (Ref A).


3. (S/NF) Correa added in his public comments that "it is
time that the Colombian Government starts to control its
territory... we (Ecuadorians) are paying a very dear price
for a conflict that is not ours." Vice Minister Miguel
Carvajal said in a separate televised interview on November
12 that Ecuador is pursuing a policy of containment, but that
it is the responsibility of the Colombian Government to
control its territory along its southern border (Ref B).
Privately, an Ecuadorian armed forces officer told the
Embassy that it would take action against Colombian security
forces if they enter into Ecuadorian territory (Ref C). The
Ecuadorian military has rules of engagement in place for the
use of MANPADS, including several levels of authorization
before firing. Although the President's authorization for
the use of MANPADS has been reconfirmed, the Embassy has
received conflicting reports as to their actual deployment.


4. (C) Correa asserted on November 12 that Ecuador has 7,000
soldiers on the northern border, plus 2,000 policemen, and
that it costs over $100 million to patrol its northern
border. Including Pastaza province in the northern border
region, the Embassy estimates the number of combat soldiers
at 4,000, with another 2,000 conscripts. A maximum of four
battalions may be deployed at any one time.


5. (SBU) Thanks to an increase in personnel and equipment,
the Ecuadorian Armed Forces have clearly increased the
intensity of their operations in the Northern Border (Refs D
and E). The operational tempo, which already had been
stepped up in late 2007, was increased even further after the
March 1 Colombian attack on a FARC camp in Ecuador. A total

of more than 100 battalion-level operations led to the
discovery and destruction of 11 cocaine producing
laboratories and 130 FARC facilities (bases, houses, camps),
the eradication of nine hectares of coca, and the
confiscation of weapons, communications and other support
equipment. The operations have resulted in the detention of
20 FARC members and the killing of one FARC member during the
year. In his November 12 statements, Correa said that "seven
Ecuadorian soldiers have fallen in the conflict," presumably
during his presidency.


6. (S/NF) Comment: Since the March 1 attack, the Correa
administration has put great importance on telling the world
that it was conducting vigorous military efforts in the
northern border region, in part perhaps to dispel accusations
of ties to the FARC. That these words translated into a real
increase in operational intensity and greater willingness to
engage illegal armed groups in the area is due mostly to
strong military leadership, in particular that of General
Fabian Narvaez, Commander of the Fourth Joint Task Force (Ref
C). The possible deployment of MANPADS and the suggestion
that the Ecuadorian military would use force against the
Colombian military, not just the FARC and other illegal armed
groups, is new and raises concern on many levels. The Correa
administration is remains deeply sensitive about sovereignty
and control of its territory. The Embassy will continue to
look for any actual changes in MANPADS deployments.
HODGES