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U.S. Congratulates Correa
On
Re-Election Victory As Ecuadorian President
U.S. Congratulates Correa
On
Re-Election Victory As Ecuadorian President
Washington - The United
States on Tuesday congratulated Rafael
Correa on his re-election victory as
Ecuador's president, saying Washington hopes
for cooperation with the Ecuadorian
government on common concerns.
"We salute the people of Ecuador for
conducting peaceful and transparent
elections on April 26, 2009, and
congratulate President Correa on his
victory," said State Department Deputy
Spokesman Robert Wood at the daily press
briefing.
"And the United States will continue to
build on our cooperation with Ecuador
consistent with our commitment to supporting
Ecuadorian democracy, prosperity and
security," said the spokesman.
Correa, a U.S.-educated economist, declared
re-election victory on Sunday. He became the
first president to win re-election in the
Andean country since 1972.
Correa is widely viewed as one of the
left-winger leaders in Latin America, along
with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Bolivia's
Evo Morales. Venezuela and Bolivia both
expelled U.S. ambassadors in the last year.
The United States and Ecuador had mutual
interests in combating narcotrafficking and
cooperating in fostering Ecuador's economic
development and reducing poverty.
The relations, however, have been in tension
since President Correa, who has some 70
percent popularity in Ecuador, rejected to
renew a lease ending this year on a coastal
air base used by U.S. troops.
The Ecuadorian government had expelled two
U.S. diplomats in February over
"unacceptable meddling" of police officer
affairs in programs receiving U.S. aid.
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