ECUADORIAN CASUALTY IN ATTACK COMPLICATES

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000288

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: TEN YEARS
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER EC CO
SUBJECT: ECUADORIAN CASUALTY IN ATTACK COMPLICATES
RELATIONS WITH COLOMBIA

REF: 07 QUITO 2398

Classified By: CDA Jefferson Brown for Reasons 1.4 (b&d).


1. (C) Summary: The GOC confirmation of an Ecuadorian
casualty in the March 1 attack has raised bilateral tensions
again between Ecuador and Colombia, and will likely delay any
formal re-establishment of diplomatic relations. As the
Correa administration continues its hard line with Colombia,
the current dispute undermines the recent OAS-led
rapprochement as well as progress in bilateral relations that
had been made previous to March 1. In addition to requesting
compensation for the death of the Ecuadorian in the March 1
attack, the GOE may demand compensation for damages caused by
previous Colombian incursions into Ecuador, as well as for
alleged damages from aerial eradication. But the Ecuadorian
victim's apparent FARC links, if confirmed, could prove
embarrassing and undermine the GOE stance. (End Summary)


2. (SBU) The parents of Ecuadorian Franklin Aisalia believe
that their son was mistaken by Colombian authorities for
Julian Conrado, senior FARC member and songwriter, during the
March 1 attack. Late on March 24, the Ecuadorian Prosecutor
General's office confirmed that the body is that of Aisalia,
based on a comparison of fingerprints provided to Interpol.
The parents of Aisalia told the press on March 25 that they
do not plan to take legal action in the death of their son
and ask only that his body be repatriated.


3. (SBU) 22 days after the break in diplomatic relations
with Colombia, Ecuador is still pursuing a hard diplomatic
line. President Correa announced during his weekly radio
address on March 22 that Colombia must stop its "media
campaign" against Ecuador before he will re-establish
diplomatic relations. Correa also declared that he would
launch a new diplomatic battle if the Ecuadorian body were
that of Aisalia, and that "this would be a very serious case,
as it would deal with the murder of an Ecuadorian on Ecuador
soil, and we will not allow this precedent to go unpunished."
Vice Foreign Minister Jose Valencia confirmed a report that
the GOE was on the verge of presenting a request to the
Colombian foreign ministry, demanding approximately $1.2
million in compensation for damages caused by prior
incursions of Colombian military into Ecuador.


4. (SBU) Responding to the March 23 statement by Colombian
Minister of Defense Juan Manuel Santos that the body taken
back to Colombia belonged to an Ecuadorian national, Correa
conferred on March 24 with the Foreign Minister, Vice Foreign
Minister, and the ministers of Government and Justice.
Shortly thereafter, the GOE released an official statement
claiming that the death of Aisalia and the transport of his
body to Colombia constituted human rights violations. The
statement says that "Ecuador will appeal to the Secretary of
the OAS to find a definitive solution to the case." The
statement also reaffirms that the GOE does not approve of the
use of violence by the FARC or other illegal groups, and that
the military/police have been authorized by the President to
impede the entry and take action against unlawful groups in
national territory.


5. (SBU) As bilateral tensions continue, it is worth noting
that prior to March 1, Ecuador-Colombian relations were at
their best point in recent memory. In response to a letter
received from the FARC in October 2007, the GOE issued an
official statement that "Ecuador maintains diplomatic
relations with the Colombian state and its legitimately
constituted Government" (reftel). In January 2008, Ecuador
refused to follow Chavez's lead in recognizing the FARC's
belligerent status. On February 26, Colombian Foreign
Minister Fernando Araujo sent a communique to Ecuadorian
Foreign Minister Maria Isabel Salvador expressing interest in
assisting Ecuadorians affected by aerial fumigations along
the border with Colombia. President Uribe had extended an
invitation to President Correa for an official visit
immediately following the UNASUR summit meeting at the end of
March (now postponed). The Ecuadorian military had improved
its working level cooperation with the Colombian authorities
on shared border operations. According to recently departed
Ecuadorian Ambassador to Colombia Francisco Suescum, after
rough times in previous years due to disputes over glyphosate
spraying, "This barbaric attack threw to the ground all the
advances that we had made."


6. (SBU) Comment: The GOE's hardline response to the death
of Aisalia is a double-edged sword. Local media today is
filled with photos and reports that appear to document his
long-standing connections to the FARC, although his parents
and neighbors offer a very different portrait. The Foreign
Minister's response to the allegations is that "you can't
fight one illegality with another," given that his death did
not occur in the context of battle. But the FARC is widely
unpopular in Ecuador, so if those connections are proven,
it's unclear which way Ecuadorian public opinion and
sympathies will go.
Brown