US embassy cable - 05QUITO1736

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 001736 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/22/2015 
TAGS: EAID, PHUM, PREL, EC 
SUBJECT: GOE REFUTES USG VIEWS ON BELGIAN FUNDING OF CUBAN 
DOCTORS 
 
REF: SECSTATE 133266 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires AI Kevin Herbert, for reasons 1.4 (b&d 
) 
 
1.  (C) ACDM made reftel points to MFA U/S for Bilateral 
Affairs Susan Alvear on July 22. 
 
2.  (C) Alvear countered our views with the "beggars can't be 
choosers" argument, saying that with USG and IFI assistance 
ever-shrinking, the GOE must turn to other donors to meet its 
social needs.  It was in no position to risk any assistance 
by putting conditions on donors such as the Belgian 
government, in this case. 
 
3.  (C) Alvear differed with the USG view that the downsides 
of Cuban medical assistance far outweigh the benefits. 
Ecuador has benefited from Cuban medical assistance and 
expertise combating tropical disease and HIV/AIDS for years, 
and also from exchanges of professionals in sports, culture 
and other areas.  Apart from a few defections (which 
presumably strained relations with the GOC), this assistance 
has not entailed political cost.  Nor has the government of 
Cuba threatened to withdraw its assistance to exact political 
leverage here, she asserted. 
 
4.  (C) Finally, Alvear asserted that the working conditions 
and rights of Cuban doctors seconded by the GOC was an 
internal Cuban matter.  She estimated that the Belgian-funded 
project would involve only 6-10 Cuban doctors in Ecuador at 
any one time. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
5.  (C) With FM Parra publicly envisioning greater 
cooperation with Venezuela in the social sector, explicitly 
involving more Cuban doctors, it is not surprising that 
Alvear would minimize USG concerns, refusing to consider 
available alternatives.  We are becoming convinced the GOE's 
insistence that it can accept aid without political 
consequences is more disingenuous than naive. 
 
 
HERBERT