Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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09QUITO616 | 2009-07-21 15:54:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Quito |
1. (C) Summary: On July 17, 2009, the Forward Operating Location (FOL) in Manta held a ceremony to commemorate ten successful years of cooperation in counterdrug operations at the FOL. Although many Ecuadorian government officials had been invited to the ceremony, the GOE chose not to send any government or high-level military official and instructed its Air Base Commander not to speak at the ceremony. More than 40 media representatives attended the ceremony, which was well-covered in the press. In a subsequent surprise move, the Civil Aviation Directorate forcibly removed employees of the private Manta Airport Corporation by presidential decree, including the Corporation's firefighters, and replaced them with temporary employees from neighboring airports. President Correa is scheduled to visit Manta on July 21, likely to address the DAC take-over. (End Summary) 2. (C) The FOL marked the end of ten successful years of cooperation in counterdrug cooperation on July 17 with a series of events, including a ceremony that culminated with the final counternarcotics flight, attended by over 250 members of the Manabi community and Manta air base. The last flight landing at the FOL was a U.S. Navy P-3 from its Patrol Squadron 45 out of Jacksonville. The crew landed on cue and taxied under a water arch formed by two fire department trucks, arriving exactly on time. The Ambassador, FOL Administrator Lieutenant Colonel Pat Curtis and visiting Brigadier General Jon Shasteen of Air Force South delivered remarks commemorating ten years of successful counternarcotics cooperation. Among other successes highlighted during the ceremony, the Ambassador pointed out that the FOL supported 5,750 counternarcotics flights, contributing to the seizure of 1,800 metric tons of illegal narcotics valued at $36 billion. According to MFA Director General of Special Projects German Ortega, the GOE's preference not to attend or provide remarks at this ceremony and to limit its military participation to the level of the Manta Base Commander was a "ministerial level decision." 3. (C) The day's events included a community partner recognition dinner attended by approximately 150 members of the Manabi province community. Manta Base Commander Col Mauricio Campuzano, who was prohibited from speaking during the afternoon ceremony, voluntarily offered remarks in the absence of the press, expressing his appreciation for the FOL's contributions over the past ten years. He said that the U.S. Air Force was "always welcome here," both on the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE) base, as well as in their homes. Earlier that day, the Ambassador, Brig Gen Shasteen and FOL Administrator Curtis presided over a $2,000 Humanitarian Assistance donation of a refrigerator and freezer to the Jesus of Nazareth Soup Kitchen in Manta, and a friendly basketball match took place between FOL and FAE members. 4. (C) The ceremony was covered by over 40 media representatives from national and international media outlets, and was also televised on local television. The Ambassador provided a one-on-one interview to Vistazo magazine on July 17; the article will likely appear in the next weekly issue. Following on the heels of Legislative Commission member Marcos Martinez' attacks alleging that the FOL had sunk fishing vessels (reftel), the press did a reasonable job of communicating the counternarcotics role of the FOL and some of the counternarcotics results its presence has provided Ecuador and the region, calling the FOL's departure "bittersweet." 5. (C) However, the good will expressed by the USG during the ceremony and community members at the recognition dinner was overshadowed by President Correa's remarks the next day. During his weekly radio/TV address, he stated that the FOL could be relocated to Colombian bases, that "Let them (the USG) go somewhere else (Colombia) if they want to receive them there." The GOE also forced television stations to play a government video on July 16 and 17 in which Defense Minister Javier Ponce downplayed the effectiveness of the FOL in maritime seizures, and repeated previous accusations that the GOE had not been adequately informed about the FOL's activities by the U.S. military. 6. (C) In a surprise development on the evening of July 17, the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DAC) under police escort forcibly removed Manta Airport Corporation (CORPAM) and its employees from airport management and replaced them with temporary employees from neighboring airports. The surprise move included the removal and replacement of CORPAM's firefighters. Some firefighters working on contract with ITT (the FOL service provider) had signed contracts with CORPAM to continue working at the airport once ITT dismissed them. 7. (C) In his July 18 Saturday morning address, Correa noted that he would visit Manta on July 21 to "address the airport issue," likely to mean the upset caused by the sudden takeover at the airport. Correa was not scheduled to stop by the FOL. Note: It is possible that the Correa administration orchestrated the takeover to show that the GOE is taking back Ecuadorian sovereignty at the Manta air base. End Note. 8. (C) Comment: It is disheartening that the GOE chose not to participate and to restrict its military from speaking at the FOL ceremony, thereby failing to recognize ten years of counternarcotics cooperation. It is also annoying that after several meetings in which government officials stressed the importance of working together in the transition of FOL facilities, the GOE chose to attack the U.S. and the FOL's presence in Ecuador. HODGES |