Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa made a televised appeal Sunday for international solidarity with
Correa informed the press that he had already spoken with the leaders of over a dozen Latin American nations, the Organization of American States, and
Investigations conducted by Ecuadorian military and government officials "confirmed irrefutably" that the attack was a premeditated "massacre" that penetrated up to 10 kilometers of Ecuadorian territory, Correa announced.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Colombian Foreign Secretary Fernando Araújo, gave a different account and claimed that Colombian helicopters flying in southern
However, Correa said there is no justification for foreign military aggression in Ecuadorian territory, and Colombia’s "mockery of the truth and of the Ecuadorian people" has violated bilateral treaties and international law, "but most of all, the respect and trust that should exist between brotherly countries."
Colombian Foreign Secretary Araújo appealed to the government of
In response, Correa declared that "Colombia is a sovereign nation, and so are we, and international law demands that they inform us, and that it be the public forces of Ecuador which carry out the capture, as has occurred on multiple occasions in the past, always with absolute respect for human rights," and reiterated that Ecuador does not support the FARC and disapproves of the insurgent’s "actions and methods".
Ecuadorian Ambassador to Venezuela René Vargas Pazzo declared on the Venezuelan government television channel (VTV) that Colombia’s attack on the sleeping guerrilla encampment had "no military justification," and that it was rather "a provocation by people or governments who do not want peace, who do not want integration, who want war and that is the path that all South American must oppose, all Latin Americans who want peace, union, and integration."
The Andean Parliament, a diplomatic organization of the community of Andean nations, echoed Pazzo’s analysis, asserting that
The attacks were "at odds with the most elemental principles of International Humanitarian Law," according to the Latin American Association for Human Rights (ALDHU), a 28 year-old international NGO based in Ecuador that works with over 20 nations and is a principle component of the Andean Parliament. Juan de Dios Parra, the general secretary of ALDHU, called the events an "invasion" and a "massacre" which "violated all the international norms regulating the respect for borders".
In addition, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, told the Chilean press that "we cannot be in agreement with the non-respect of borders and we lament that
Statements were also released by the Brazilian administration, which announced its initiation of a multi-national diplomatic effort to "maximally reduce tension and renew initiatives to achieve a humanitarian accord." Brazilian president Lula da Silva has reportedly consulted with the presidents of
Statements released from the Argentine foreign relations department expressed that "
Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte declared, "
Similarly, Peruvian President Alan García expressed "enormous preoccupation" and condemned
Immense concern was also expressed in a statement released by the Bolivian Foreign Relations Ministry which called any act of violation of national sovereignty "unjustifiable," and called for a "peaceful, long lasting, humanitarian" solution based on "a climate of understanding and mutual respect." In addition,
In similar fashion, Mexican President Felipe Calderón urged dialogue and communicated directly with Uribe and Correa to offer his mediation if both countries agree.
José Miguel Insulza, the general secretary of the Organization of American States (OAS), announced Monday that in addition to the ordinary meeting of the OAS Tuesday, there will be a special meeting to treat the conflict related to
Insulza expressed that this "is a problem among member states that also affects the fundamental values of our constitutive charter," and withheld further commentary "until the states can converse this Tuesday."
ZNetwork is funded solely through the generosity of its readers.
Donate