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DE RUEHQT #0643/01 0791204
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 201204Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY QUITO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6584
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA IMMEDIATE 6536
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ MAR 0500
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA IMMEDIATE 1514
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS IMMEDIATE 2449
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL IMMEDIATE 2069

UNCLAS QUITO 000643 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
REFTEL: QUITO 00420, QUITO 00537, QUITO 554, QUITO 556, QUITO 587 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINR PGOV EC PREL MARR MASS
SUBJECT: Mission Actions To Counter "No Bases" Conference 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: The International Network for the Abolition of 
Foreign Military Bases (INAFMB) held their international conference 
in Ecuador March 5-9.  An estimated 400 foreign activists from 40 
nations attended meetings and rallies in Quito and Manta (site of 
the U.S. Forward Operating Location - FOL).  While neither President 
Correa nor any other Ecuadorian cabinet-level minister attended 
conference events, INAFMB representatives met with Correa in his 
office, and the undersecretary for defense reaffirmed the GOE's 
intent not to renew the FOL agreement in remarks at the opening 
ceremony.  The Embassy countered the conference's misinformation 
campaign with an aggressive information outreach strategy and 
private diplomacy aimed at key GOE and City of Manta officials.  In 
the end, the INAFMB conference was overshadowed by the ongoing 
institutional impasse between Ecuador's electoral body and its 
Congress, and our media efforts generated positive press coverage of 
the FOL and its mission.  End Summary. 
 
Background: "No-Bases" Conference 
 
¶2.  (SBU) An estimated 400 international activists from over 40 
nations arrived in Ecuador for the International Network for the 
Abolition of Foreign Military Bases' March 5-9 conference.  The 
INAFMB Ecuador conference sought to highlight the "political, 
social, economic, and environmental impact of foreign military bases 
and the grassroots movements dedicated to opposing their existence," 
the organization affirmed in event literature.  The INAFMB website 
(www.no-bases.net) notes that the organization was formed in 2003 to 
connect various anti-bases movements around the world.  The network 
through its global activism hopes to reduce what it views as rising 
"militarization" and use of "force" around the world with the aim of 
encouraging a "lasting and just system of peace."  The organization 
appears to be non-violent in nature. 
 
Private Diplomacy 
 
3.(SBU) Prior to the "No-Bases" conference, the Ambassador met with 
Minister of Defense Lorena Escobar (reftel), Quito Mayor Paco 
Montayno, and Security Advisor to Correa Fernando Bustamante to 
exchange views on the upcoming conference and to discuss the 
importance of the FOL in the regional anti-narcotics fight.  The PAO 
and PolOffs also met with conference attendees from the American 
Friends Service Committee and the Washington Office on Latin America 
to discuss the role of the FOL in Ecuador.  The activists asked 
Embassy officials to respond to a series of allegations by 
conference participants including that the FOL is part of Plan 
Colombia, used to launch aerial fumigations planes in Colombia, and 
had had a negative social and environmental impact on the City of 
Manta.  Embassy officers explained the limited scope of the FOL 
based on the 1999 agreement between the U.S. and Ecaudor, and noted 
that the FOL is an important tool in combating regional narcotics 
trafficking.  Officers repeatedly noted that the FOL is not a U.S. 
military base, but rather a small operation located on the 
Ecuadorian Eloy Alfaro Airbase, and explained that, to the contrary 
of having a negative social or environmental impact, it has been 
actively engaged in community improvement projects and confers a 
significant, positive economic impact in Manta.  While the group 
remained skeptical, they thanked Embassy officials for taking the 
time to meet and provide the USG perspective. The WOLA 
representative mentioned she is writing an article on the FOL to be 
published soon. 
 
¶4. (SBU) In a March 7 meeting with CG and PolChief, Manta mayor 
Jorge Zambrano expressed more support than he has previously for the 
presence of the FOL, and suggested the USG continue efforts to 
educate the Ecuadorian public to the benefits of the FOL.  CG 
expressed appreciation for Zambrano's recent public statements 
extolling the benefits of the FOL to Manta and the nation, and 
inquired about the mayor's views on a possible local referendum on 
the FOL.  Zambrano said the local political consensus was in favor 
of a referendum, but he agreed with Embassy concerns that if 
proposed to national electoral authorities, the Correa government 
might try to convert the measure into a national referendum, leading 
to likely failure of the measure.  Zambrano also expressed concern 
that if held locally, the costs of the referendum would come out of 
his budget.  (Those costs are estimated at $80,000.)  While some 
advocate holding the referendum concurrently with the April 15 
referendum on the national constituent assembly, Zambrano said it 
would be preferable to hold the local referendum on the FOL 
separately.  In any case, he said, the earliest practical time to 
hold a local referendum would be on the date for elections to the 
assembly, if approved, in August/September.    Zambrano suggested 
that local support for the FOL was strong, but much ignorance still 
exists about it, even among Manta residents.  Turning to the issue 
of upgrading the Manta airport to international status, the CG 
explained to Zambrano that we believe the FOL could easily coexist 
with and in fact support an international airport, made possible by 
USG investment in creating the best runway in South America. 
Zambrano agreed, and suggested that the USG consider contributing 
radar to the airport which would benefit both military and civilian 
users. 
 
GOE Reaffirms Non-Renewal, But Stays Clear of Conference 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Members of the "No-Bases Coalition of Ecuador" and the 
INAFMB met with Correa and Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa 
in Correa's office on March 8.  According to the INAFMB and press 
reports, Correa reaffirmed his position not to renew the FOL 
agreement after its 2009 expiry date.  Although Correa and Escudero 
were invited to participate in the INAFMB conference inauguration, 
both declined.  Escudero instead sent Undersecretary of Defense 
Miguel Carvajal, who also reaffirmed the GOE position not to renew 
the agreement after 2009, calling it a matter of national security 
(reftel).  Quito Mayor Paco Moncayo welcomed the group not to 
associate himself with its cause but because he viewed the large 
international delegation as an opportunity to promote Quito 
touristically.  Moncayo, a retired Ecuadorian general, stressed the 
importance of a "civilian" debate over national security matters, 
and lamented the lack of civilian security experts in Ecuador. 
National Security Advisor to Correa, Fernando Bustamante, 
represented Correa at conference events held in Manta on March 9. 
 
ORGANIZERS SPREAD MISINFORMATION ABOUT U.S. BASES 
 
¶6. (U) Meeting organizers engaged in aggressive media outreach that 
included interviews with two national television and four national 
radio chains.  Media dedicated almost daily coverage to the event, 
but not as prominently as we had feared.  The concept of "735 U.S. 
bases around the world" was a recurring theme of their press 
materials.  Their message also centered on misinformation including 
the idea that U.S. bases allowed the USG to control water and oil 
resources worldwide, contributed to pollution and environmental 
degradation and were the cause of alarming increases in prostitution 
in communities where they are located. 
 
EMBASSY EFFORTS TO COUNTER MISINFORMATION 
 
 
¶7. (U) The Embassy used State/IIP products, Southcom fact sheets 
regarding global security priorities, and locally produced materials 
to dispel the misinformation circulated by the conference 
organizers.  Post personally discussed the materials with 
journalists as a way to provide balance to reporting on the No Bases 
conference.  The majority of national newspapers who covered the 
event included Embassy-originated information as part of their 
reporting.  Our explanation that there are 34 U.S. overseas bases in 
countries such as Korea, Japan and Spain, not 735 bases, and that 
U.S. security alliances with these and many other countries 
(including Ecuador) help ensure global security and stability, 
helped temper the organizers' notion that the USG was imposing its 
security agenda on other countries via its overseas bases.  DCM, 
Consul General, PAO, DAO and IO conducted on-the-record interviews 
with national and regional news outlets prior to and during the 
conference to underscore USG points.  Five national radio stations, 
three national newspapers and regional television stations broadcast 
these interviews from March 5-8. 
 
¶8. (U) PAS organized FOL tours for TV stations whose broadcasts 
coincided with the conference.  A four-part series entitled, 
"Positive Action in the Manta FOL" was broadcast by the country's 
largest television network, TC Television.  The series focused on 
the threat of narcotrafficking in the region and the positive 
economic and social impact of FOL personnel in the Manta community. 
Following the conference, PAS welcomed some of the country's most 
widely recognized news anchors from Ecuavisa, the country's 
second-largest network, to the FOL for a full day of interviews and 
briefings to underscore its counter narcotics mission and dispel the 
misinformation that the USG conducted subversive or armed operations 
from Manta. 
 
Embassy to Continue Information Campaign 
 
¶9. (SBU) Over the next year, the Mission will continue its campaign 
to inform Ecuadorian opinion shapers and the general public about 
the FOL and the benefits of U.S.-Ecuador counter-narcotics 
cooperation via private and public diplomacy, and FOL visits.  We 
also are requesting separate funding from the Department and DOD for 
paid media placements to inform the public about the FOL, and for an 
enhanced Manta community relations campaign to increase support for 
the FOL in key constituencies in and around Manta. 
 
Comment 
 
¶10. (SBU) The "No-Bases" conference presented the Mission with 
excellent opportunities to educate the GOE and the Ecuadorian and 
international media about the exclusive counter-narcotics mission 
and positive results of the FOL.  The Ambassador's meetings with the 
new Defense Minister and the president's security advisor provided 
them with the USG perspective on how the FOL benefits Ecuador and 
protects its sovereignty.  By shining a light on the FOL, the 
conference may even have inadvertently helped us capture the 
attention of undecided and uninformed observers and to absorb a 
balanced review of the facts.  The Mission's extensive media 
outreach efforts, including media visits to the FOL and radio and TV 
interviews, exposed millions of Ecuadorians to the USG perspective 
on the FOL and bilateral counter-narcotics cooperation and countered 
the organizers' anti-FOL propaganda. 
 
JEWELL