FM TELLS CODEL DODD THAT ECUADOR WANTS PEACE,

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000498

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON EFIN EC
SUBJECT: FM TELLS CODEL DODD THAT ECUADOR WANTS PEACE,
TRADE; DENIES ANY TIES TO FARC


Classified By: Ambassador Linda Jewell for reasons 1.4 (b & d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Senator Christopher Dodd and Representative
Xavier Becerra visited Ecuador May 30-31 and met with four
senior cabinet ministers. Foreign Minister Maria Isabel
Salvador described in detail Ecuador's discontent with
Colombia's violation of its border on March 1, but stressed
that Ecuador wants peace. She condemned violence propagated
by the FARC, and denied any governmental ties to the group.
The ministers also told the U.S. delegation that Ecuador
wants trade, and is eager to develop a long-term bilateral
dialogue on trade, development and social issues. End
summary.


2. (SBU) CODEL Dodd held a meeting with senior ministers of
the GOE on May 30. Participants included: Senator
Christopher Dodd, Representative Xavier Becerra, Ambassador
Jewell, and Deputy Chief of Mission Jefferson Brown; Minister
of Foreign Affairs Maria Isabel Salvador, Coordinating
Minister for Internal and External Security Government and
Policy Gustavo Larrea Cabrera, Minister of Government and
Policy Fernando Bustamante, Minister of Policy Ricardo Patino
Aroca, Vice Foreign Minister Jose Valencia, Under Secretary
for Bilateral Relations Diego Stacey, and the Foreign
Minister's Chief of Staff Andres Teran.

Ecuador in an "Era of Change"
--------------


3. (C) Foreign Minister Salvador and Minister Larrea began
the meeting by saying that Ecuador is in the process of great
change. The government enjoys wide popular support, and the
Constituent Assembly is writing a new constitution. Larrea
noted GOE achievements since coming to office, including
increased access to school and medicines, and said that the
GOE had generally restored credibility in the central
government. He continued to say that Ecuador is unique in
the Andean region, never having known internal armed
conflict, or agrarian revolt, as in Colombia or Peru; he also
noted that the country is democratic, peaceful, and that a
majority of people are property owners. He then said that
the Constituent Assembly is mindful of the need to develop a
sovereign economy, referring to the instability Ecuador
experienced in a 1999 currency crisis.


4. (C) Larrea added that the government exercises zero
tolerance for drug cultivation, is not tied in any way to
narco-traffickers or their violent influence, and that the
GOE are leaders in Latin America in drug seizures. He
stressed that this is a long-standing policy of "state" for
successive governments of Ecuador, to which the Correa
administration is vigorously committed. Still, he said,
Ecuador lives with the effects of the Colombian conflict. He
commented that Colombia does not protect its southern border,
and that as a result, Ecuador has to cope with the largest
refugee population in Latin America because of the displaced
persons. That is a commitment they will honor, as a matter of
international law and humanitarian duty, but it is difficult.
He said the GOE fully respects Colombia's sovereign
prerogative to address their internal conflict as they see
best, but will not tolerate having that conflict spill over
across their own border either in the form of irregular armed
groups or the Colombian military. To that end, the GOE has
stationed 10,000 troops (25% of its army) on the border. At
the same time, the GOE is comm