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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 
ASS...



id: 220007
date: 8/7/2009 21:49
refid: 09QUITO708
origin: Embassy Quito
classification: SECRET//NOFORN
destination: 09QUITO138
header:
VZCZCXYZ0003
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHQT #0708/01 2192149
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 072149Z AUG 09 (CCY-CLASSIFICATION-MSI4897)
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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0737
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 8305
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 4247
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 3673
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RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL


----------------- header ends ----------------

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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