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C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000065 
 
SIPDIS 
AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PASS TO AMCONSUL RECIFE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2025/02/04 
TAGS: PREL EAID MARR EFIN SNAR EC HA CO XR
SUBJECT: Ecuador Calls UNASUR Presidential Meeting on Haiti 
 
REF: QUITO 45 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Heather M. Hodges, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(D) 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY.  President Correa visited Haiti in his capacity as 
UNASUR interim president on January 29.  Correa has since called 
for an emergency meeting of UNASUR presidents on Haiti on February 
9 in Quito, which may include Haitian President Preval.  Meanwhile, 
UNASUR vice defense ministers held an inconclusive meeting on 
January 28-29 where they analyzed a Protocol on Peace and Security 
and a U.S. Air Force White Paper.  It is still unclear who will 
assume the interim presidency when Ecuador relinquishes it in 
August 2010.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
UNASUR RESPONDS TO HAITI 
 
 
 
¶2.  (C) Vice defense ministers of the Union of South American 
Nations (UNASUR), meeting in Manta, Ecuador, on January 28-29, 
passed a resolution urging the Government of Haiti to give the 
international community direction on humanitarian and 
reconstruction efforts.  "We support efforts so that Haiti, under 
its leadership and in agreement with the international community 
and United Nations, would establish standards and responsibilities 
to help in the long job of reconstruction."  The presence of 
foreign troops (meaning U.S. troops) in Haiti drew criticism from 
some UNASUR representatives during the Defense Council meeting. 
 
 
 
¶3.  (C) To date the GOE has not joined in the criticism of U.S. 
troops in Haiti.  When President Correa visited Haiti in his 
capacity as UNASUR interim president on January 29, he stated that 
first it would be necessary to assist Haiti and then analyze the 
implications of the presence of foreign troops, but that "at this 
moment, the most important is the more assistance, the better." 
Correa termed the discussion of foreign troops "insignificant."  On 
the other hand, he reportedly criticized the "imperialism" in aid 
efforts, saying that "they donate first, but most of it goes back 
to them."  This may be a reference to international press reports 
that the Haiti government gets only 1 cent of every U.S. earthquake 
assistance dollar.  Correa offered Haiti UNASUR's solidarity and 
support. 
 
 
 
¶4.  (C) Following his trip, Correa decided that UNASUR needed to do 
more.  The MFA announced on February 2 an emergency meeting of the 
presidents of UNASUR member countries on Haiti, originally for 
February 4, now pushed back to February 9.  It is not clear what 
this UNASUR meeting will accomplish.  Marjorie Ulloa of the MFA's 
UNASUR Coordination office told us that the MFA understands that 
most countries would like their humanitarian contributions to Haiti 
highlighted bilaterally.  She added that any contribution from 
UNASUR as a multilateral organization would likely focus on the 
long-term reconstruction of Haiti, and perhaps shorter-term medical 
assistance as well. 
 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Five presidents -- Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru and 
Venezuela -- have confirmed their attendance at the February 9 
UNASUR meeting on Haiti.  MFA Bilateral Affairs Under Secretary 
Leonardo Arizaga told the Ambassador on February 3 that Haiti 
President Preval would also attend the meeting, but this has not 
been announced publicly.  The Ambassador raised the idea of 
police/military units for Haiti with Arizaga, who quickly and 
firmly rejected the prospect, noting that Ecuador was considering 
sending more engineers.  Note:  Preval's visit may provide a chance 
to revisit this, since Correa has been reported as saying donors 
should give Haiti what the Haitian government needs.  End Note. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Following Ecuadorian MFA promises that the UNASUR Haiti 
summit meeting would not slip into a discussion of bilateral 
issues, Colombian President Uribe agreed to attend, which has 
received considerable press attention in Ecuador.  This will be 
Uribe's first time in Ecuador since the GOE broke off diplomatic 
relations with Colombia in March 2008 following the Colombian 
attack on a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) 
encampment in northern Ecuador.  Uribe's last visit to Ecuador was 
in November 2007 to attend the inauguration of Ecuador's 
Constituent Assembly. 
 
 
 
PROTOCOL ON PEACE AND SECURITY TABLED 
 
 
 
¶7.  (C) The original purpose of the South American Defense Council 
meeting in Manta was to approve the text of a Protocol on Peace and 
Security.  According to Ulloa, the vice ministers did not reach a 
consensus as Colombia refused to agree to guarantees with regard to 
small arms and light weapons.  The GOC also objected to a proposal 
by some member countries that terrorism and drugs be handled by the 
UNASUR counternarcotics group.  According to Ulloa, Colombia 
offered a counter-proposal (NFI).  Since there was no consensus, 
the vice ministers directed Defense Council delegates to resolve 
the matter prior to another meeting of vice ministers. 
 
 
 
¶8.  (C) Ulloa suggested that the next meeting of defense ministers 
will likely not happen until April or May, in order to give the 
delegates and vice ministers time to work out their differences. 
 
 
 
NOT THE DCA, RATHER THE WHITE PAPER 
 
 
 
¶9.  (C) Another subject discussed by the vice defense ministers was 
the U.S. Air Force's Air Mobility Command white paper.  Ulloa told 
us that the Venezuelans monopolized this discussion.  Brazil's 
Ambassador to Ecuador, Antonino Marques Porto, was quoted in the 
Ecuadorian press as saying, "The white paper, from our point of 
view, indicates that the presence of foreign forces in South 
America very probably has more to do with other things than the 
fight against guerrilla and narcotrafficking."  After approximately 
two hours, discussion of the white paper was tabled when Colombia 
suggested that a working group be formed to address the issue. 
According to Ulloa, representatives from Venezuela, Colombia, 
Brazil, Ecuador and one or two other countries will likely form the 
working group. 
 
 
 
FIGHT AGAINST NARCO-TRAFFICKING 
 
 
 
¶10.  (SBU) At the same time as the UNASUR vice defense ministers' 
meeting, vice ministers and representatives of UNASUR ministries of 
government/interior met in Quito on January 27-28 to discuss the 
problem of impunity enjoyed by narco-traffickers in the region. 
Ecuadorian Government Minister Gustavo Jalkh emphasized in his 
remarks the need to develop the judicial sector in the region, and 
that the health and education sectors should be included to help 
stem drug demand.  Ministry of Government Under Secretary Fredy 
Rivera is the lead for the GOE for UNASUR's so-called Fight Against 
Narcotics Council. 
 
 
 
¶11.  (SBU) According to Ulloa, another UNASUR entity will meet in 
Quito on February 10-11, with representatives of the ministries of 
finance and/or economics and the central banks.  The 
representatives will explore establishing a new financial 
architecture in South America, as well as the possibility of 
creating a new UNASUR council to handle regional economic issues. 
 
 
 
UNASUR PRESIDENCY, WHO'S NEXT? 
 
 
 
¶12.  (C) When Ecuador completes its one-year rotating UNASUR 
presidency in August 2010, it is not clear what country will take 
it over.  According to Ulloa, Guyana will likely not assume the 
presidency for lack of resources and personnel to effectively 
administer the presidency.  Next in line alphabetically is 
Paraguay, but the GOP has other responsibilities (NFI) at that 
time, according to Ulloa, and therefore is also likely to pass on 
the UNASUR presidency.  She said Peru might take the baton instead. 
 
 
 
¶13.  (C) Ulloa said that the GOE would fulfill its promise to build 
a headquarters to house the UNASUR presidency and has approved the 
budget to fund its construction, but noted that the GOE did not 
want to disclose the amount.  She added that the construction of 
the headquarters would be a long process, but that it was important 
to the GOE that the project begin while Ecuador still held the 
presidency.  A ceremony to lay the first brick will be scheduled in 
the next months.  Meanwhile, Ulloa said that UNASUR members were 
avoiding the topic of selection of an UNASUR Secretary General. 
 
 
 
¶14.  (U) Minimize considered. 
HODGES