VZCZCXYZ1721
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHQT #0221/01 0652106
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 052106Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY QUITO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8587
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 7402
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 2448
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ MAR BRASILIA 3854
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 2929
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL 3370
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

UNCLAS QUITO 000221 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS EC CO
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION ON COLOMBIAN INCURSION PASSED BY 
ECUADOR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY 
 
REF: QUITO 219 
 
¶1.  (SBU) With a vote of 116 assembly members present, the 
Constituent Assembly unanimously passed a resolution (Reftel) 
on March 4 condemning the Colombian incursion on March 1 as 
violation of national sovereignty and an act of aggression 
that constitutes a threat to all of Latin America in 
regionalizing Colombia's internal conflict. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Assembly discussion included numerous 
accusations by various members that the USG had been involved 
in supporting the Colombian operation, including statements 
that information had come from the Manta FOL.  It was a 
positive development that anti-U.S. language that had been 
proposed by the more radical elements of the Assembly was 
ultimately rejected by the Proud and Sovereign Fatherland 
(PAIS) majority. 
 
¶3.  (U) Begin Text of the Resolution: 
 
The plenary of the Constituent Assembly, considering that: 
 
In accordance with article 1 of the regulations on the 
functioning of the Constituent Assembly, published on the 
supplement of the Official Registry number 236 dated December 
20, 2007, the Constituent Assembly represents popular 
sovereignty, which resides in the Ecuadorian people, 
 
The Colombian government, through its armed forces, assaulted 
Ecuadorian territory in a planned manner, which has generated 
rejection from the Ecuadorian people which felt that its 
sovereignty was affected, 
 
Colombia's domestic conflict causes unacceptable incursions 
of irregular forces from that country into our territory. 
 
In exercise of its prerogatives, agrees to: 
 
Article 1:  Strongly condemn the violation of the national 
sovereignty and territorial integrity, since this act of 
aggression constitutes a threat to all of Latin America to 
the extent that it gives impetus to the regionalization of 
the Colombian conflict.  This act of violence adds to the 
social, economic, and environmental costs that the Colombian 
conflict represents for Ecuador. 
 
Article 2:  Ratify our country's pursuit of peace and declare 
that, from any point of view, the violation of our territory 
by the Colombian armed forces is inadmissible and 
unjustifiable, as well as by any other irregular force on 
national territory. 
 
Article 3:  Repeat the traditional policy that the State of 
Ecuador has maintained, in spite of foreign pressure, of not 
getting involved in the internal conflict that our brethren 
Colombian people suffer, to which the Ecuadorian people have 
always provided and will provide their solidarity. 
 
Article 4:  Confirm our willingness to cooperate so that the 
Colombian people find a peaceful solution to its problems. 
 
Article 5:  Urge the government to adopt the necessary steps 
to ensure that the northern border populations can count on 
guarantees to exercise their rights to life and security. 
 
Article 6:  Call for national unity for the defense of our 
sovereignty and of the public good that our country 
possesses, which is peace, as well as back up all the actions 
that the Ecuadorian government is executing to guarantee 
national sovereignty. 
 
Article 7:  Appeal to the governments of Latin America and to 
the international community to give impetus to the 
regionalization of peace and not the regionalization of war 
and violence. 
 
Article 8:  Delegate to Committee 9 on Sovereignty, 
International Relations, and Latin American Integration, the 
follow-up of the resolutions adopted by the Constituent 
Assembly in this agreement. 
 
End Text of the Resolution. 
 
BROWN