US embassy cable - 05QUITO369

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 QUITO 000369 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR G/TIP LINDA BROWN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, MOPS, PHUM, KWMN, EC 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR VISITS COASTAL CITY HOSTING FIRST U.S. 
SHIP VISIT 
 
 
1.  Summary:  During a two-day trip to the northern coastal 
city of Esmeraldas, the Ambassador visited with local 
officials and highlighted the positive impact of U.S. 
assistance on the province.  Our emphasis on both security 
and development resonated, even in a city dominated by the 
far-left People's Democratic Movement (MPD) party.  Residents 
were more concerned about local issues than with ongoing 
political power struggles going on at the national level. 
The Ambassador visited a Peace Corps site and participated in 
a well-attended reception on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter 
(USCGC) Mellon conducting the first ever port visit by a U.S. 
vessel to Esmeraldas.  Also, the Ambassador met with a 
women's rights group, attended a ceremony for vehicles 
donated to the Ecuadorian Armed Forces, gave a radio 
interview, and met with the city's popular mayor.  End 
Summary. 
 
Warm Reception at Peace Corps Site 
---------------------------------- 
 
2.  On February 10, the Ambassador visited a Peace Corps 
Volunteer site in Los Ebanos, a poor suburb of Esmeraldas 
still without potable water.  The volunteer is collaborating 
with the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health on sexual education 
and HIV/AIDS prevention in the community and helping the 
build a community library.  The residents gave the Ambassador 
a warm reception in their basic schoolhouse and emphasized 
that they hoped that they could keep working with Peace Corps 
volunteers on sustainable projects.  The community leaders 
said finishing the library project was their primary goal. 
 
Ship Reception A Success 
------------------------ 
 
3.  The Ambassador attended a February 10 ship reception 
aboard the USCGC Mellon, the first U.S. ship visit in recent 
history to the Esmeraldas port.  The ship's Commanding 
Officer explained its operations in the Eastern Pacific. 
USCGC Mellon, along with only four other U.S. ships, is 
responsible for patrolling an area the size of the 
continental United States.  The Ambassador emphasized that 
the Embassy values the difficult work carried out by Coast 
Guard ships patrolling off the coast of Ecuador, including 
their recent rescue of 75 Ecuadorian migrants.  The 
Ambassador said we should not let bad press on U.S. "boat 
sinkings" (referring to damaged migrant ships posing a threat 
in international waters) deter us from the serious work the 
Coast Guard is doing to capture drug shipment and rescue 
migrants from dangerously overloaded smuggling vessels. 
Several Peace Corps volunteers also attended the ship 
reception and would later explain the purpose of the ship 
visit to their communities. 
 
Women's Forum Impressive 
------------------------ 
 
4.  On February 11, the Ambassador met with eight women of 
the Women's Permanent Forum who in 2002 participated in the 
Voluntary Visitors program.  The Forum, whose main activities 
are fighting gender violence and defending the rights of 
women, is well-run and deals with social issues in one of 
Ecuador's poorest provinces.  The women said their visit to 
the U.S. had helped to clarify and increase the reach of 
their goals.  These include working to get increased 
involvement from their local government as well as creating a 
shelter for victims of gender violence.  The Ambassador 
encouraged them to include Trafficking in Persons (TIP) 
victims in this shelter.  The Ambassador also discussed the 
possibility of a future information campaign to help educate 
about the dangers of TIP.  The women's forum was receptive to 
these TIP-related ideas; the Embassy's TIP coordinator will 
follow-up.  The Peace Corps Deputy Director confirmed plans 
to place a Peace Corps volunteer with the women's forum. 
 
Highlighting USG Assistance 
--------------------------- 
 
5.  At the Ecuadorian Army's 25th Special Forces Battalion on 
February 11, the Army explained how with SOUTHCOM 
Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) assistance, they are 
carrying out mobile medical outreach in the communities they 
patrol.  SOUTHCOM's HAP assistance will provide $50,000 for 
25 First Aid stations.  The Ambassador then participated in a 
ceremony donating 38 tactical vehicles (Humvees and Five-ton 
trucks) worth approximately $470,000 to the Ecuadorian 
military.  Nationwide, the U.S. has donated 196 tactical 
vehicles to the Ecuadorian Armed Forces. 
 
6.  The Ambassador gave a radio interview with Radio Union on 
February 11.  The Ambassador emphasized that Esmeraldas is 
one of the Ecuadorian provinces that receives the most USG 
assistance and that it is currently benefiting economically 
from the USCGC Mellon's visit.  Interviewers asked whether 
the ship visit in Esmeraldas implied the U.S. wanted to set 
up another "base" in Esmeraldas (a reference to the 
Cooperative Security Location in Manta).  The Ambassador 
clarified that the base in Manta is Ecuadorian and the U.S. 
military is present there at the invitation of the GOE. 
Interviewers also asked about the current national political 
situation as well as the marches in Quito scheduled for 
February 16.  The Ambassador stated that USG support for 
democratic institutions is clear; we support peaceful 
demonstrations as expressions of democracy.  Asked whether 
the U.S. Embassy would mediate in current national political 
disputes, the Ambassador stated that these issues were for 
Ecuadorians to resolve. 
 
Mayor Focused on Local Issues 
----------------------------- 
 
7.  The Ambassador then met with the recently re-elected 
mayor of Esmeraldas, Ernesto Estupinan, of the far-left MPD. 
The mayor stated that in his province there was not much 
focus on national politics as the players on the national 
scene were seen as acting only in their own personal interest 
rather on behalf of their constituents.  On the Supreme Court 
controversy, the mayor said that for national politicians 
what is "constitutional" is what serves their purposes at the 
moment. 
 
8.  The mayor expressed concern of growing evidence of money 
laundering in Esmeraldas.  While he does not have proof, his 
concern was that with few local employment opportunities, 
many Esmeraldenos are vulnerable to illicit activities.  The 
mayor believes that public safety is closely tied to economic 
development and employment opportunities.  He claims local 
unemployment to be 56%.  The mayor hopes to create more of an 
economic strategic partnership with Quito (noting a local 
rivalry with Guayaquil).  Asked by the Ambassador how his 
community viewed the USCGC Mellon's visit, the mayor 
responded very positively, saying residents saw it as 
bringing commerce to their province.  The mayor expressed 
hope that U.S. ships would visit Esmeraldas in the future. 
The mayor was also receptive to the Ambassador's offer to 
send representatives to Esmeraldas to provide information on 
the free trade agreement Ecuador is currently negotiating 
with the U.S. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
9.  The first visit of a U.S. ship to the Esmeraldas port was 
a great success with the locals.  We hope to build on the 
goodwill generated by the ship visit in various ways.  We 
plan to encourage regular ship visits to Esmeraldas in the 
future.  Embassy representatives will visit Esmeraldas to 
advance USG goals by coordinating with the Women's Forum on 
TIP issues, providing information on the free trade 
agreement, and coordinating cultural exchanges and placement 
of Peace Corps volunteers.  We continue to be impressed by 
the dichotomy in this country between local governance, where 
pragmatic leaders from a variety of political parties pursue 
practical responses to real social needs, and the national 
political scene, which emphasizes conflict and personality 
over progress. 
Kenney