LATEST ROUNDS OF ANTI-U.S. RHETORIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000513 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: TWENTY YEARS TAGS: PREL MARR SNAR PHUM OAS EC SUBJECT: LATEST ROUNDS OF ANTI-U.S. RHETORIC REF: A. STATE 62142 ¶B. QUITO 449 ¶C. QUITO 391 ¶D. QUITO 233 ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: While the GOE talked in Washington about expanding bilateral cooperation, the Correa government and its fellow travelers here in Ecuador continued to bash the U.S. Unsubstantiated allegations over the last few weeks included that the U.S. Forward Operating Location (FOL) caused the untimely deaths of over 1,000 Ecuadorians, that the CIA usurped control of Ecuador's intelligence services, and that the CIA paid off journalists who wrote stories critical of former Minister Larrea. In addition, President Correa rejected Washington's comments on press freedom in Ecuador, and advocated that the OAS be junked in favor of an organization that would exclude the U.S. Public bashing of the U.S. and private cooperation is par for the course in Correa's Ecuador. It is still not clear to us whether post-election Correa is headed in a truly anti-U.S. direction, or whether the relationship will still allow us to continue to achieve our strategic anti-narcotics and anti-terrorism objectives. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Foreign Minister Fander Falconi's efforts to define new areas of cooperation with the U.S. during his June 11-12 visit to Washington marked the positive side of the ledger in U.S.-Ecuador relations (Ref A). Meanwhile, anti-U.S. rhetoric by President Correa and his Proud and Sovereign Fatherland (PAIS) movement over the last several weeks included a few new variants, together with many familiar themes. -- A mandatory government broadcast that television stations carried the week of June 15 accused the CIA of controlling Ecuador's military intelligence services under the current set-up. It rehashed old stories about the CIA's role overseas and an alleged CIA agent in Ecuador. The broadcast's purpose was to defend the GOE's proposed national security law, which would create an intelligence secretariat under the President's office with a budget that would not be made public. Critics had charged that the intelligence secretariat would serve Correa's political objectives and lack appropriate oversight. -- During his June 13 radio/TV address, President Correa responded angrily to USG comments on the importance of press freedom. He mocked the newspaper El Universo for quoting Washington statements, saying "The White House spokesperson told us not to be naughty boys. And that makes front page news here...Do you know how much I care about what the Secretary of State says? Here, I care about what the Ecuadorian people say." -- PAIS Assembly member Marcos Martinez, president of the interim legislature's international relations commission, called former senior government officials for questioning in early June, while publicly recommending that they be charged with treason for allowing the U.S. FOL (a counternarcotics surveillance facility in Manta, Ecuador) to violate Ecuadorian sovereignty and cause the sinking of fishing boats and the death of many innocent Ecuadorians. After initially referring to 12 sunken boats and one disappearance, on June 10 he claimed that information from human rights groups showed more than 1,000 FOL-related deaths in the last ten years. Martinez also denigrated the FOL's accomplishments, using creative math to claim that it was responsible for the capture of only ten tons of drugs per year. In contrast, USG figures show that since the FOL's inception, it has contributed to the interdiction or seizure of over 1,740 metric tons of narcotics. Martinez told the press that he planned to submit his report on the FOL to President Correa on July 15, after which the GOE should carry out an investigation. The July 15 timing may be tied to our planned July 17 ceremony commemorating the last flight from the FOL and highlighting its accomplishments. -- Former Coordinating Minister of Internal and External Security Gustavo Larrea, anxious to revive his political fortunes, blamed accusations against him on CIA payoffs to unspecified journalists. Journalists and other critics had accused Larrea of not carrying out his obligations as minister and inappropriate ties to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) after a former subordinate of his was charged with supporting FARC drug trafficking (Ref D). Larrea's remarks came during a June 2 plenary session of the PAIS-controlled legislature. The legislature's oversight commission had already concluded that there was insufficient evidence to investigate Larrea as demanded by the opposition, but Larrea still worked his way into the plenary session at the last minute to defend himself publicly. Correa has already said that he plans to bring Larrea back into his government. -- On May 31 in Honduras, President Correa again called for the abolition of the OAS, to be replaced by an Organization of Latin American States "without the influence of the United States." ¶3. (C) COMMENT: Ecuador's mixed message about the U.S. reflects President Correa's own ambivalence, as well as the range of competing voices within his movement. Correa seems to recognize that the GOE needs a cooperative relationship with the U.S., both for its concrete benefits and to convince those among his supporters who are skeptical of his coziness with Iran and ALBA. The GOE apparently believes it can obtain what it seeks from Washington while bashing America regularly at home. We continue to engage the GOE in an effort to maintain and strengthen cooperation in areas that support U.S. interests. At the same time, we have sought to get our own message out in non-confrontational ways in response to the most egregious accusations, so the public hears the other side of the story. HODGES