US embassy cable - 05QUITO370

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000370 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/15/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, EC 
SUBJECT: ECUADOR'S NEW AMB-DESIGNATE TO U.S. CONFIRMED: 
MAURICIO POZO 
 
REF: QUITO 282 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  Former Finance Minister Mauricio Pozo has 
been offered and has accepted the position of Ambassador to 
the United States, according to reliable sources.  We expect 
to received a request for agrement for Pozo during the week 
of February 21.  Pozo is well and favorably known to the 
Embassy.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (C) Pozo confirmed to the DCM on February 11 that 
President Gutierrez had offered him the Washington post.  He 
had deferred a response until the two could meet in person on 
February 14.  Presidential Advisor Carlos Polit and Trade 
Minister Ivonne Baki both (separately) subsequently confirmed 
to the Ambassador that Pozo had accepted the post.  Polit 
said we could expect a request for agrement early in the week 
of February 21. 
 
3.  (C) Pozo told the DCM that his tenure in Washington would 
be limited--Gutierrez had agreed to nominate Pozo for 
Executive President of the Andean Development Corporation. 
The current CAF president's term ends in December 2006.  He 
also inquired about the state of bilateral relations on 
several issues outside his economic expertise.  The DCM 
reiterated USG concern about respect for democratic 
institutions here, the urgency of GOE engagement on an 
Article 98 agreement, and the need for progress on TIP, 
money-laundering legislation, and labor reform. 
 
4.  (C) Comment:  Pozo would be an excellent representative 
of Ecuador during the run-up to the signing of an FTA;  we 
strongly recommend speedy approval of agrement.  Economic 
issues are his strength; but his appointment offers great new 
opportunities on a range of pending bilateral issues.  Once 
the agrement request is received, we will proceed to brief 
him in more depth on USG perspectives on these issues. 
Kenney