Ecuador and Colombia to Start Talks
Aimed at Normalizing Relations
NEW YORK – The governments of Ecuador and
Colombia said they will begin a process of
“direct dialogue” next month with a view to
normalizing their diplomatic relations.
“The presidents of Ecuador and Colombia have
instructed their foreign ministries to
complete the designation of charges
d’affaires by the start of October,”
Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez
said Thursday. His Ecuadorian counterpart,
Fander Falconi, said at a press conference
that same day that both governments agreed
on “a document with 11 concrete points
establishing the methodology for dialogue.”
The agreement was hammered out Thursday
after several meetings between Bermudez and
Falconi in New York, where the two are
attending sessions of the U.N. General
Assembly.
In a joint communique, the Colombian
government reiterated its pledge not to
“conduct military or security operations in
Ecuadorian territory” while Quito said “it
will not tolerate the presence of illegal
armed groups on its territory and that any
armed incursion will be repelled, if
necessary by force.”
The two sides agreed to form commissions
within two weeks to solve problems related
to security and crime-prevention, the
development of border communities and other
issues of bilateral concern, the statement
read, adding that they will resort to the
mediation of the U.S.-based Carter Center
and the Organization of American States for
the “most sensitive” issues.
Ecuador broke off diplomatic relations with
Colombia in March 2008 following a Colombian
bombing raid on a clandestine camp of the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or
FARC, guerrilla group in Ecuadorian
territory, an attack that killed 25 people,
including rebel second-in-command Raul
Reyes.
Tensions were ratcheted up further after an
Ecuadorian judge three months ago requested
an international arrest warrant for
Colombia’s former defense minister, Juan
Manuel Santos, who ordered the raid, and
Colombia subsequently released a video
showing a rebel commander talking about
contributions to Correa’s electoral
campaign. EFE |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
