US embassy cable - 05QUITO61

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000061 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/10/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, EC 
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT MINISTER SHARES (BIZARRE) VIEWS 
 
REF: 03 QUITO 3027 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney.  Reason 1.4 (b&d). 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  In a December 7 tour d'horizon with the 
Ambassador and DCM, Government Minister Jaime Damerval 
expressed willingness to cooperate to combat trafficking in 
persons.  He also shed (sometimes disturbing) light on his 
thinking on a range of other issues, including the drug war, 
the government's referendum proposal, USG support for 
democracy, and security burdens caused by Colombia 
spill-over.  Given his views, we consider it fortunate that 
Damerval is apparently not a member of the President's inner 
circle.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (C) The Ambassador invited Damerval to breakfast at the 
residence to lobby for the minister's personal involvement on 
the TIP issue, which he accepted eagerly (SepTel).  He 
dominated the conversation in a stream-of-consciousness flow 
which, while respectful, included several statements of 
concern. 
 
Neighbors No Help, U.S. to Blame 
-------------------------------- 
 
3.  (C) In a reference to his ongoing dispute with Guayaquil 
leaders about security there, Damerval complained that his 
police and prison resources are stretched thin because of the 
need to bolster security along northern border provinces. 
Finance minister Yepez is no help, he said, strictly holding 
the line on budget increases.  He hoped for help from the 
Spanish government on prisons.  Colombia, never a good 
neighbor to Ecuador, had showed no willingness to acknowledge 
responsibility for some of Ecuador's security-related 
expenses. 
 
4.  (C) The narcotics trafficking which undermines Ecuadorian 
security, he said, stems from the personal weakness of U.S. 
drug users.  Continuing on Guayaquil, his native city, the 
minister said it had been difficult to craft the referendum 
to be proposed by the President by January 21, and that one 
key element would be increased autonomy for the city, and 
possibly other areas. 
 
5.  (C) Damerval then laid into Ecuador's southern neighbor, 
citing the US for guaranteeing a peace which cheated Ecuador 
on its eastern frontier.  The US should encourage Peru to 
reopen the 1996 peace treaty, and move the riverine border 
east. 
 
Congress Not Worth It? 
---------------------- 
 
6.  (C) Discussing TIP, Damerval acknowledged the difficulty 
of dealing with Congress, but cited his personal friendship 
with the newly-elected Congress President as a potential 
asset.  Acknowledging his reputation as a political 
provocateur, he slyly noted USG support for President 
Fujimori even after he dissolved the Peruvian Congress.  The 
Ambassador noted that USG support is for Ecuador's democratic 
institutions, including Congress, and that the USG is seeking 
ways to strengthen them. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
7.  (C) Damerval, appointed in November to lead the Gutierrez 
government's defense against impeachment, appeared 
uncomfortable but eager to please, highlighting his language 
ability, support for a free trade agreement, and his personal 
affinity for the U.S., and agreeing wholeheartedly with the 
Ambassador's request that he show greater leadership on TIP. 
His comments revealed a darker side, however, and a tendency 
common to intellectuals of his generation to implicitly blame 
the U.S. for Ecuador's problems, hold irrational fears of 
Peru, and seek US intervention to solve Ecuador's problems. 
Given these views, we believe it is fortunate for Ecuador 
that Damerval is clearly not trusted by Gutierrez to chart 
GOE policy, and hope rumors of his impending dismissal prove 
correct. 
 
 
KENNEY