Ecuador to Sue Colombia
For Anti-Coca Herbicide
Pollution
Ecuador would bring a
lawsuit against Colombia
at The Hague
International Court of
Justice as it suffers
from the pollution of
Colombia's anti-coca
herbicide sprayed over
border area, Ecuadorian
Foreign Minister said
Friday.
Maria Isabel Salvador
said bilateral
negotiations on
compensation for
Ecuador's victims of the
chemicals have failed,
so the Ecuadorian
government has decided
to bring the case to the
international court.
Colombia had used aerial
spray of the herbicide
to eradicate coca in
Ecuador-Colombia border
areas since 2000, but
was forced to stopped in
2007 due to Ecuador's
protest.
Ecuador complains that
the spray have polluted
its soil, water and
plants, and harmed the
health of many
Ecuadorians.
Salvador said Ecuador
would bring forward
undisputable proof at
the court to show the
harms Ecuadorians are
suffering.
Along the 180-km
Ecuador-Colombia border,
coca growing area in
Colombia covers 162,000
hectares. The border
area is also rife with
anti-government
militants and drug
traffickers.
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