US embassy cable - 05QUITO400

UNCLAS QUITO 000400 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NP/MNA; GENEVA FOR CD; USUN FOR POL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PARM, KNNP, EC, NPT, IAEA 
SUBJECT: ECUADOR "STILL STUDYING" NPT STRENGTHENING 
 
REF: STATE 18228 
 
1.  In response to Reftel, the Embassy delivered non-paper to 
Ruben Herrera, the Technical Agencies officer in the MFA's 
Multilateral Affairs directorship general.  In a follow-up 
telcon February 17, Herrera stated the Foreign Ministry could 
not yet comment on the U.S. proposal to beef up Nuclear 
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) enforcement measures at the 
upcoming NPT review conference.  Specialized entities within 
the GoE, namely Ecuador's Atomic Energy Agency, were still 
analyzing our non-paper.  Herrera hoped to have their input 
the week of February 21, at which time he would seek a 
sit-down with Embassy staff to discuss this and other pending 
demarches. 
 
2.  Regarding Reftel request for Embassy comment on the 
utility of various Public Diplomacy (PD) tools in winning 
Ecuador's support for NPT strengthening, we consider that 
placement of USG-drafted articles in local print media the 
best weapon available.  There simply is not sufficient 
interest here in nuclear non-proliferation efforts to justify 
investments in DVCs, expert visits, and NGO cultivation. 
Conventional arms proliferation and regional security issues 
do have an Ecuadorian audience, however, owing to the 
proximity of the Colombian conflict and Ecuador's role as a 
conduit country for FARC-bound weapons.  We thus suggest 
that, for maximum impact, any articles for placement treat 
nuclear proliferation as one component of a broader arms 
trafficking problem. 
Chacon