ECUADOR DEMARCHE RESPONSE: 60 DAY REPORT ON UNSCR

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000581 SIPDIS ISN, EB, NEA, IO, VCI, P, T, TREASURY-TFI E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2016 TAGS: EFIN AORC ETRD TRGY KNNP UNSC EC SUBJECT: ECUADOR DEMARCHE RESPONSE: 60 DAY REPORT ON UNSCR 1803 (IRAN SANCTIONS) REF: STATE 48615 Classified By: DCM Jefferson Brown for Reasons 1.4 (B&D) ¶1. (SBU) PolOff delivered reftel points on June 27 to Marisol Nieto, MFA Acting Director General of Multilateral Affairs. ¶2. (C) Nieto reiterated that the GOE's position on Iran is based on "principles" and that the IAEA should have been given additional time to work with Iran before introducing new sanctions. Nieto also emphasized Ecuador's full support for the implementation of UNSCR 1803, as well as UNSCR 1737 and 1747. She added that Ecuador has already submitted its 60 day report, but wasn't able to give specifics about its contents. ¶3. (C) Nieto said that she was unaware of any Iranian investment in Ecuador but said that the GOE and Iran exchanged notes on May 29 confirming the opening of commercial offices in Teheran and Quito, which will be attached officially to the Iranian Embassy in Bogota, Colombia and Ecuadorian Embassy in Cairo, Egypt. President Correa has stated on numerous occasions that the GOE would not be opening an embassy in Teheran, but that opening these commercial offices would develop commercial contacts between the two countries. ¶4. (C) Comment: Post believes that little concrete commercial cooperation will result from the opening of the offices. This has been interpreted in Ecuador as part of the Correa administration's strategy to diversify commercial ties. The Ecuadorian representative to Iran Stephenson Bravo has previously served as the President of the AmCham in Guayaquil and continues to be accessible to U.S. mission representatives. Jewell