OAS General Assembly to examine Ecuador-Colombia deteriorated relations (updated)

Caracas, Venezuela, 29 May 2008. The General Secretary of the Organization of American States (OAS),  José Miguel Insulza, stated that the current deteriorated bilateral relations between Ecuador and Colombia would be examined during the XXXVIII General Assembly on Tuesday at Medellin. OAS has offered its good offices to amend bilateral relations to no avail. OAS now attempts to recover its mediating role in the region.  

Ecuador broke diplomatic relations with Colombian after the incursion of military and police forces into its territory to attack a FARC camp on 1 March 2008. As a result of the Colombian illegal incursion, 26 people were killed including FARC No 2 leader, Raul Reyes, and an Ecuadorian citizen. The event brought the region near a mayor confrontation. Venezuela deployed troops in its common border with Colombia. Both OAS and the Rio Group held sessions to curb the escalation of the regional crisis.  

Since that crisis and despite the Rio Group reconciliation resolution, the bilateral relations between Ecuador and Colombia  have turned rather sour. President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, and Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, have also distanced themselves.

Today and in a related event, the Ecuadorian Ministry of Defence unveiled that 30 Colombian paramilitaries entered its territory yesterday at Barrancabermeja and kidnapped three protected civilians from the Putumayo region. ACNUR received the confirmation of the disappearance of these Colombian  refuges: Aldemar Castillo, Jairo Santander and Javier. Such incursion adds strain to the already damaged bilateral relations. However, Colombia states it would not be asking for concessions to Ecuador in order to reestablish diplomatic relations. On the contrary , Ecuador has asked for the interruption of incursions into its territory.  President Correa stated his country would attack any intrusive military or illegal group. Colombian citizen would not need to show their judicial records to enter Ecuadorian territory from 1 June 2008 though.

OAS would be holding the regular session of its XXXVIII General Assembly at Colombia from 1 to 3 June 2008. This time it would be devoted to Youth and Democratic values.

PS: this afternoon, Ecuadorian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maria Isabel Salvador, expressed her country might resume diplomatic relations with Colombia at a lower level, that is, chargé d´Affairs. Today, representatives of Andean Community of Nations and Andean Parliament gathered at Quito to analyze regional solution to crisis.  

Sources: El Nacional, OAS, Telesur, Hoy, Unionradio, El Comercio, La Hora, Telegrafo,  Expreso,  

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