US embassy cable - 05QUITO886

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000886 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINR, EC 
SUBJECT: BIO INFO ON NEW CABINET MINISTERS: PART 1 
 
REF: QUITO 872 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney, Reason 1.4 (b&d) 
 
1.  (U) Summary:  On the afternoon of April 21, President 
Palacio swore in the first members of his new Cabinet: 
Secretary General of the Administration Luis Herreria Bonnet, 
 
SIPDIS 
Minister of Government Mauricio Gandara Gallegos, Minister of 
Foreign Affairs Antonio Parra Gil, Minister of Defense Anibal 
Solon Espinosa Ayala, Minister of Finance Rafael Correa 
Delgado, Minister of Trade Oswaldo Molestina Zabala, 
Presidential Secretary Carlos Eduardo Munoz, and President of 
the State Bank Jose Jouvin Vernaza.  Preliminary bio info for 
Gandara and Parra follow.  Information on others to follow 
septel.  End Summary. 
 
Mauricio Gandara: US Critic 
--------------------------- 
 
2.  (U) Mauricio Gandara Gallegos has most recently been 
noted for his editorials in Ecuador's El Comercio newspaper, 
in which he often rails against USG use of the Manta Base, 
supposed US "ship sinkings", and Plan Colombia.  Gandara, a 
former Congress member in ex-President Sixto Duran Ballen's 
(no-longer-existent) center-right Republican Unity party 
(1988-92), has been absent from the political scene for the 
last decade, dedicating himself instead to law and writing 
editorials.  Gandara also reportedly served as Ecuadorian 
Ambassador to England. 
 
3.  (U) Gandara was President Velasco Ibarra's Presidential 
Secretary before running Duran Ballen's presidential election 
 
SIPDIS 
campaign in 1988.  Gandara clashed with Leon Febres Cordero 
during the campaign, and Gandara played a key role in getting 
Duran Ballen to leave the PSC and form his own party. 
 
4.  (U) Gandara was born on September 20, 1941 in Riobamba. 
He is the cousin of Prosecutor General Jose Maria Borja.  He 
is married to Esperanza Mena Durina.  He is a lawyer by 
profession and participated in the International Visitors 
Program (program on teacher development) in October 1968. 
 
Antonio Parra: A Cerebral Lawyer 
-------------------------------- 
 
5.  (C) This information about new Minister of Foreign 
Affairs Antonio Parra Gil comes from Embassy contact Deborah 
Chiriboga, a niece of Parra's (whom she calls affectionately 
"Hapo").  By her description, Parra is an overweight but very 
intelligent 72 year-old, proceeding from an extremely wealthy 
Guayaquil family.  His mother's family owned Banco Amazona, 
however Parra sold his share in the bank to his brother a 
year ago.  Parra's father was a prominent Ecuadorian 
politician, whose "Parra Doctrine" is the cornerstone of 
Ecuador's non-intervention policy. 
 
6.  (C) Chiriboga said Parra could be considered lazy, as he 
is primarily a cerebral person not very interested in 
income-generating activities.  Parra studied law and goes to 
his law offices regularly, however, he has never actually 
practiced law and does not regularly accept cases.  Parra is 
a person devoted to reason and logic.  He is not affiliated 
with any particular political party or ideology, and is 
neither particularly pro or anti-US.  A formal person, Parra 
would make decisions regarding the US based logic and reason. 
 Parra enjoys writing books; a book he wrote about his father 
was published.  Parra has two daughters, one of whom works 
for pharmaceutical Abbott Laboratories in Chicago.  He owns 
an apartment in Miami and enjoys travel to the US and Europe. 
 
 
7.  (SBU) According to press, Parra is a former Subsecretary 
of Education, as well as of Public Works.  Parra also served 
as Ecuadorian Ambassador to Venezuela and Spain.  He was 
cultural attache in Brazil. 
 
8.  (C) Former Gutierrez Presidential Secretary Carlos Polit 
told DCM on April 21 that Parra's brother had been asking 
Gutierrez to name Parra Ambassador to Belgium.  Polit also 
said the Parra family is close to Miguel Orellana, son-in-law 
of Leon Febres Cordero. 
KENNEY