Cablegate: Agreement with Ecuador On Status of Forces For

VZCZCXYZ0007
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHQT #0048 0151840
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 151840Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY QUITO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8288
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA IMMEDIATE 7243
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA IMMEDIATE 2280
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JAN 0851
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA IMMEDIATE 3831
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS IMMEDIATE 2818
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA IMMEDIATE 0879
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL IMMEDIATE 3196
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

UNCLAS QUITO 000048

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

L/PM (CDR TOM HEROLD), WHA/AND (SIGRID EMRICH), DOD/OSD
(LTC DAN MCDONALD), DOD/OSD/WHA (WALTER EARLE)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KTIA MARR MOPS PM PREL EC
SUBJECT: AGREEMENT WITH ECUADOR ON STATUS OF FORCES FOR
EXERCISES IN ECUADOR

REF: SECSTATE 3118

1. (SBU) On January 16, PolChief and MilGroup Commander
delivered proposed text of diplomatic note and talking points
from Reftel in a meeting with MFA Under Secretary of
Sovereignty Affairs Jaime Barberis, MFA Legal Advisor Gonzalo
Salvador, and MOD Chief of Ministerial Cabinet COL Galo Cruz.
The initial Ecuadorian response was positive. The GOE is
reviewing the text further, and promised to give us a quick
response. COL Cruz stated that he would like to see the
process completed before the Defense Minister's trip to the
United States on January 23.

2. (SBU) On January 17, Embassy Quito updated the text of
the proposed diplomatic note per the January 17 e-mail from
WHA/AND Janine Keil, to reinsert an inadvertently omitted
sentence in Article XIII. Text of Article XIII now reads as
follows: "Vehicles, vessels, and aircraft operated by the
United States armed forces shall not be subject to the
payment of landing or port fees, pilotage, navigation or over
flight charges, or tolls or other use charges, including
light and harbor dues, while in Ecuador. Aircraft operated
by or for the United States armed forces shall observe local
air traffic control regulations while in Ecuador. Vessels
owned or operated by the United States armed forces shall not
be subject to compulsory pilotage at Ecuadorian ports."
JEWELL

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