US embassy cable - 05QUITO121

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000121 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS USOAS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/18/2014 
TAGS: PREL, AORC, EC, OAS 
SUBJECT: ECUADOR UNDECIDED ON OAS SYG, SUPPORTS 
CONSULTATIONS 
 
REF: SECSTATE 10956 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Arnold Chacon, Reasons 1.4 (b) 
 
1.  (C) In response to Reftel regarding U.S. support for 
Francisco Flores's OAS secretary general (OAS SYG) candidacy, 
Charge January 19 called on Roberto Betancourt, the 
Ecuadorian MFA's third-ranking official and 
ambassador-designate to the United States (FM Patricio 
Zuquilanda was unavailable and VFM Edwin Johnson is 
accompanying GoE President Lucio Gutierrez on a U.S trip). 
Charge noted the USG would soon announce publicly its backing 
for Flores, hoped Ecuador too would favor the Salvadoran 
ex-president, and pressed the GoE to lobby for an early OAS 
SYG vote. 
 
2.  (C) Betancourt claimed Mexico and Chile were pressuring 
the GoE to support their own candidates, Foreign Minister 
Luis Derbez and Interior Minister Jose Miguel Insulza, 
respectively.  Chilean President Ricardo Lagos had contacted 
GoE counterpart Lucio Gutierrez, for example.  Derbez himself 
recently called Zuquilanda seeking Ecuador's vote, as had 
Chilean FM Ignacio Walker.  Betancourt even had heard of a 
fourth candidate entering the race, although he lacked 
specifics.  The GoE had yet to reach a decision, he revealed, 
as the candidates, including Flores, were all excellent. 
 
3.  (C) Quito supported Washington's call for OAS SYG 
consultations, Betancourt noted.  It was vital the 
hemisphere's nations reach consensus on a candidate, sooner 
rather than later -- Ecuador thus backed the USG position 
favoring a vote before the Ft. Lauderdale OAS General 
Assembly in June. 
Chacon