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Ecuador and Colombia suspend diplomatic talks

By Manuel Rueda, Editorial Director

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño announced on Tuesday that talks to re-establish diplomatic relations with Colombia will be suspended until the Presidential elections have taken place.

“Three days ago I received a call from the Colombian Foreign Minister asking me not to advance with any key points in the agenda while Presidential campaigning takes place in Colombia. We have accepted that request because we do not want to interfere in that country´s elections.”

Ecuador broke diplomatic ties with Colombia and shut its border down in February 2008 after the Colombian air-force bombed a FARC camp that was on Ecuadorean soil, killing guerrilla chief Raul Reyes and 25 others.

Although commerce between both countries has improved over the past two years and cross border traffic has also recovered, Ecuador still does not have an embassy in Bogota.

 Relations between both countries once again became tense after Sunday´s Presidential debate in Bogota, where candidates were asked if they would order air raids against Colombian rebels hiding within neighboring countries.

Conservative party candidate Noemi Sanin said she would do so if circumstances “were similar to those of 2008” whilst the former Defense Minister and U-party candidate Juan Manuel Santos, gave an ambiguous answer to the question, declaring that he was “proud” to have ordered the controversial air raid on Ecuadorean soil, but adding that “it would be irresponsible” for him to answer the debate question “with a yes or a no.”    

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa regarded these declarations as a threat to his country. “There you see the arrogance of those aspiring to become little emperors” he said, adding that military operations in neighboring countries are “unacceptable in the 21st Century…especially after Uribe´s government publicly regretted” the 2008 Ecuador operation.

FARC operations are prevalent in the jungle area that straddles the border between Ecuador and Colombia and the guerrillas use Ecuadorean territory to seek shelter from the Colombian army.  Both counties accuse each other of not doing enough to control rebel activities in the area.