GOE REMAINS ON ATTACK AGAINST EMBASSY

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000112 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: TWENTY YEARS TAGS: PREL SNAR PTER KCRM EC SUBJECT: GOE REMAINS ON ATTACK AGAINST EMBASSY REF: A. QUITO 109 ¶B. QUITO 103 ¶C. QUITO 100 Classified By: Ambassado... id: 192204 date: 2/13/2009 22:54 refid: 09QUITO112 origin: Embassy Quito classification: CONFIDENTIAL destination: 09QUITO100|09QUITO103|09QUITO109 header: VZCZCXYZ0000 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHQT #0112/01 0442254 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 132254Z FEB 09 FM AMEMBASSY QUITO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0024 INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 7959 RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 4081 RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 0799 RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 3382 RUEHGT/AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA 1046 RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ FEB LIMA 3025 RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 1822 RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0649 RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA 0971 RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 3094 RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO 0223 RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL 4092 RHEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHDC -------------- header ends -------------- C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000112 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: TWENTY YEARS TAGS: PREL SNAR PTER KCRM EC SUBJECT: GOE REMAINS ON ATTACK AGAINST EMBASSY REF: A. QUITO 109 ¶B. QUITO 103 ¶C. QUITO 100 Classified By: Ambassador Heather M. Hodges for Reasons 1.4 (b&d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Both President Correa and Minister Carvajal condemned the Embassy's actions with regard to vetted units publicly throughout the week of February 9. The Department's February 9 statement that the USG would work through diplomatic channels to address Correa's concerns and Carvajal's statement to the Ambassador that the GOE would look for a way to continue cooperation (Ref A) did not stop the stream of hostile public rhetoric. In an attempt to portray the Embassy as out of synch with Washington, the Ecuadorian Presidency website released Ecuadorian Ambassador Gallegos' internal reports on a congressional call and a DHS/ICE official's comments. End Summary BASHING THE USG ¶2. (C) The litany of hostile GOE rhetoric during the week of February 9 targeted Embassy support for two units, the Center for Anti-Contraband Operations (COAC) and the Special Investigations Unit (UIES): -- President Rafael Correa warned police that the GOE was investigating the "robbery" of equipment and information by U.S. Embassy personnel (referring to the USG-owned equipment that was returned to the Embassy). He said this included investigating the individual police officers who permitted this to take place. He made these comments February 9 while opening a Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Guayaquil. Correa stressed that the police officers needed to remember that they work for Ecuador, not the U.S. -- Coordinating Minister for Internal and External Security Miguel Carvajal said February 10 that the DHS Attache not only cut off cooperation with the police, but also took Ecuadorian security information with him when he departed the country. He called this a threat to Ecuador's national security, saying this was security information of the Ecuadorian state based on years of investigative work. -- During the ceremony where new Minister of Government and Police Gustavo Jalkh assumed his position on February 11, Correa instructed Jalkh to determine which police officers took this action (returning equipment and data to the U.S. Embassy),saying he wanted them immediately separated from the institution. Correa reportedly said, "There are enemies embedded from within who were trying to torpedo this change (that his government is undertaking) to boycott and destabilize the government. They became used to living on the charity of the powerful." Jalkh called the police actions "treason" against government institutions. -- Minister Carvajal told the press on February 11 that the GOE was investigating the current leadership of the U.S.-supported UIES (even though the UIES leadership the USG had worked with had already been transferred),who he claimed were responsible for returning the equipment to the U.S. Embassy. He said the GOE would do a technical investigation of the computers (which the Embassy returned to UIES on February 9) to determine if all of the information had been returned. "We hope the information has not been manipulated," he stressed. Carvajal said the GOE would review all of the police's international agreements. ¶3. (SBU) In a more positive tone during a February 13 interview, Minister Carvajal said, "It is in our interest to maintain cooperation in all areas, including security and intelligence, with everyone, including the U.S., but cooperation that is clear and respectful, observing our different perspectives, and with the knowledge and authorization of the political authorities of the government." PRESIDENCY ARTICLE SEEKS TO SPLIT USG ¶4. (SBU) The afternoon of February 12, the top article on the Ecuadorian Presidency website reported on a conversation that Ecuadorian Ambassador to Washington Luis Gallegos had with a U.S. Member of Congress. It claimed that the Member of Congress agreed with Correa's critique of Embassy actions and considered them inconsistent with Obama Administration policy. The attachment to the article, which contained what appeared to be the text of the Ecuadorian Embassy's reports, stated that a Department of Homeland Security/Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS/ICE) official had apologized to Gallegos and that the agency did not authorize the DHS/ICE Attache's January 8 letter. ¶5. (C) Post understands that these reports are not entirely accurate renditions of those conversations. The article's intent was clear: to support the GOE's position and to suggest that the Embassy is free-lancing rather than acting on Washington's instructions. By mid-morning on February 13, the article had been removed from a prominent location on the Presidency website, although it could still be found by searching. COMMENT ¶6. (C) A local radio commentator and several of our contacts have suggested that the GOE is beating the drum on our vetted units to boost support for Correa and other Proud and Sovereign Fatherland (PAIS) candidates in the April 26 elections. Along those same lines, a Latin American diplomat described Correa's comments as playing David to the U.S. Goliath, saying Ecuadorians, like other Latin Americans, always sympathize with the underdog. We remain convinced, however, that while electoral considerations may play a part, Correa is primarily motivated by a desire to distract attention from the unfolding scandal over his government's ties to FARC narco-traffickers (Ref B). We would not be surprised if Correa continues his attack during his radio/television address tomorrow (February 14). HODGES =======================CABLE ENDS============================