ECUADORIAN MILITARY REQUESTS MUNITIONS DESTRUCTION

S E C R E T QUITO 000708

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (CHANGE CLASSIFICATION)
NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: TWENTY YEARS
TAGS: MARR MASS MCAP PARM PREL PTER KHDP EC CO
SUBJECT: ECUADORIAN MILITARY REQUESTS MUNITIONS DESTRUCTION
ASS...



id: 220007
date: 8/7/2009 21:49
refid: 09QUITO708
origin: Embassy Quito
classification: SECRET//NOFORN
destination: 09QUITO138
header:
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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHQT #0708/01 2192149
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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0737
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 8305
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 4247
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 3673
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ AUG LIMA 3355
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL 4546
RHMFISS/USSOUTHAF DAVIS MONTHAN AFB AZ
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
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RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 2285
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL


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S E C R E T QUITO 000708

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (CHANGE CLASSIFICATION)
NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: TWENTY YEARS
TAGS: MARR MASS MCAP PARM PREL PTER KHDP EC CO
SUBJECT: ECUADORIAN MILITARY REQUESTS MUNITIONS DESTRUCTION
ASSISTANCE

REF: A. HOTR IIR 6 828 0421 09

B. HOTR IIR 6 828 0329 09

C. HOTR IIR 6 828 0327 09

D. QUITO 138

Classified By: Ambassador Heather M. Hodges for Reasons 1.4 (b&d)


1. SUMMARY: (C) The Ecuadorian government seeks USG
assistance in destroying at least 33 MANPADS and almost 1
million individual missiles, firearms, bombs and other
expired munitions under the auspices of the U.S. Small
Arms/Light Weapons Destruction Program. After years of
inconclusive discussion with the GOE, its recent requests for
destruction of arms and munitions, as well as an explosion
last month at an arms factory, present a rare opportunity to
engage Ecuador on such cooperation. Embassy Quito invites
the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (WRA) and the
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to visit Ecuador to
assess Ecuador's stockpile of arms and munitions. END SUMMARY

DESTRUCTION REQUESTS


2. (SBU) In an official memorandum dated June 19, 2009, but
not received until July 23, 2009, Joint Command chief General
Fabian Varela Moncayo indicated that the Ecuadorian Armed
Forces (Army, Navy and AIR Force) would like to pursue
cooperation in munitions destruction and provided an
extensive list of firearms and munitions to be destroyed.
General Varela's Deputy, General Gonzalo Meza Hernandez,
indicated to the Defense Attache on July 27, 2009 that the
Ecuadorian Armed Forces had additional MANPADS that could
potentially be destroyed. However, per the June 19
memorandum, the GOE destruction list includes:
-- 33 MANPADS (IGLA);
-- 640,986 individual munitions, including grenades, bullets
and cartridges;
-- 11,185 bombs and fuses;
-- 139 missiles;
-- 6,549 rockets;
-- 293,050 aerial munitions;
-- 160 counter measures (Squibs TP1 CHAFF and TP2 FLARE);
-- 91 lbs. of pentolite powder; and
-- 41,556 grenades, cartridges, and other munitions.


3. (S/NF) In addition to the above memorandum, the Embassy's
Military Group received an official memorandum from the Joint
Command dated March 16, 2009, requesting training in the
handling, storage and transport of munitions and explosive
ordinance disposal (EOD). The memo said that the GOE was
implementing a new project ) "Protection and Security of the
Civil Population and the Storage and Handling of Military
Munitions and Explosives." The Military Group received
another official memo from the Joint Command dated April 8,
2009, requesting a technical visit by the USG to the GOE's
principal storage facilities, explosives labs, and other
installations that would allow the USG to evaluate what
technology and training would be necessary to implement the
GOE project. On April 15, 2009, members of the Defense
Attache Office (DAO) received briefings on the Joint
Command's overall strategy as defined in the above mentioned
project. DAO personnel also visited Ecuadorian Army and AIR
Force storage sites, and determined that approximately 90
percent of all Ecuadorian munitions have exceeded their
service life (Ref B and C).


4. (S/NF) The official memoranda from the Joint Command also
included a request for technical assistance and training that
is currently being considered by the Defense Threat Reduction
Agency (DTRA). The possibility of weapons reduction also may
be presented by PM/WRA to the GOE as part of a package
proposal to include destruction, improved storage bunkers,
and training on munitions testing. It should be noted,
however, that the GOE may be sensitive about the idea of
removal of weapons and munitions if any connection is made to
exclusive USG access to the testing of those weapons.

GOE EXPRESSES INTEREST IN HUMANITARIAN DEMINING COOPERATION



5. (C) During the Ambassador's and WHA/AND Deputy Director
Andy Bowen's July 24 meeting to discuss the U.S-Ecuador
Bilateral Dialogue, MFA Director General of Sovereignty
Affairs Bolivar Torres suggested that humanitarian demining
be added to Dialogue agenda. Under Secretary of Sovereignty
Affairs Claudia Donoso told us on July 31 that the MFA would
like to request humanitarian demining assistance from the
U.S. for Ecuador's humanitarian demining program along its
southern border. Pursuant to our previous discussions with
PM/WRA, Embassy Quito will seek to obtain a formal request
from the MFA to initiate the process of assessing potential
cooperation in humanitarian demining.

NEED FOR ASSESSMENT VISIT BY PM/WRA AND DTRA


6. (C) The Embassy would welcome a visit by PM/WRA and DRTA
in late August to perform an assessment of Ecuador's
munitions and MANPADS for destruction, storage, and potential
removal. The GOE has not estimated the total financial
assistance needed to destroy these firearms and munitions.
Therefore, a visit by PM/WRA and DTRA would be helpful to
determine the extent of the cost involved in destruction, as
well as the cost to transport any firearms and munitions from
their current sites to destruction or future storage sites.
The Embassy will schedule meetings with the primary contact
in the Ecuadorian Armed Forces, Vice Chief of Defense General
Gonzalo Meza, as well as with relevant officials at the MFA.
The Embassy will also arrange for visits to the Ecuadorians
Armed Forces' bunkers and storage facilities.

COMMENT


7. (S/NF) The recent requests by the Ecuadorian military for
destruction assistance and training present an opportunity
not open to us in recent memory. A request directly from the
Chief of the Armed Forces also demonstrates a political
willingness not previously encountered, at least under the
current administration. The July 7, 2009 explosion at the
Santa Barbara munitions factory in Sangolqui, on the
outskirts of Quito (Ref A) heightened the GOE's awareness of
the dangers of its current storage capacity. This has
perhaps also increased the GOE's willingness to pursue
cooperation at this time. Most of the firearms and munitions
listed are held by the Ecuadorian Army, which had previously
been reluctant to consider destruction of munitions. The
June 19 destruction list is the first time the GOE has
specified what items it would like to destroy. Although the
list only includes a limited number of MANPADS, it is
possible more could be included in an ultimate agreement.
However, it is important to move forward on the listed
munitions as they pose a risk of falling into hands of the
FARC, as a result of theft or potential sale by a corrupt
official, and therefore represent a potential threat to U.S.
or Colombian forces. (End Comment)


8. (U) POCs for this request is Embassy Quito
Political-Military Officer Mark Pannell, telephone:
011-593-2-398-5502, e-mail: PannellMA@state.sgov.gov, AIR
Attache Col Tom Thompson, telephone: 011-593-2-398-5384;
e-mail: Thomas.Thompson@dia.smil.mil, or Military Group
Commander COL Robert Gaddis, telephone: 011-593-2-398-5387,
e-mail: Robert.Gaddis@tcsc.southcom.smil.mil.


9. (U) This message has been cleared by Mark W. Adams,
Senior Advisor, Conventional Weapons Destruction, PM/WRA.

HODGES

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