Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

Ecuador says CIA infiltrated its military
31 Oct 2008 01:55:12 GMT
Source: Reuters
QUITO, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Ecuador charged on Thursday the CIA infiltrated its military and knew of a Colombian military raid against rebels in Ecuadorean territory -- accusations that could fray ties with Washington.

A U.S. embassy spokeswoman in Quito declined to comment on the charges.

Defense Minister Javier Ponce said the CIA knew of the Colombian attack before the Ecuadorean government from agents inside its military.

"The CIA had full knowledge of what was happening in Angostura," Ponce told reporters, referring to the border hamlet where Colombia troops killed a top leftist rebel leader in March.

The raid, which also killed other 24 people, briefly raised the threat of war after Ecuador and Venezuela sent soldiers and tanks to their borders with Colombia. Nerves calmed quickly in a regional meeting a week later but Ecuador and Colombia still have not mended diplomatic ties since the attack.

Ecuador's latest accusation makes it more difficult for Quito to restore diplomatic ties with U.S.-ally Colombia.

President Rafael Correa, a popular leftist and ally of U.S. foe Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, has said the CIA controls some of his country's spy units and launched a military probe that raised tensions with the country's powerful army.

The U.S.-trained economist has mainly kept good ties with the United States, but is often critical of President George W. Bush, once saying he was dumber than the devil.

Correa has vowed not to renew a lease on an air base used by U.S. troops for anti-drug operations which expires in 2009.

In a recent visit to Quito, a Russian security official said the Kremlin was open to helping Ecuador's intelligence as part of a broader plan to improve ties with Latin America. (Reporting by Jose Llangari and Alexandra Valencia; editing by Alan Elsner)


AlertNet news is provided by

Email this article       Send comments

NGO latest

•  UMCOR Hotline for October 28, 2008
UMCOR - USA

•  ADRA Partners with Colombian Government to End Poverty
ADRA - International

•  Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance: ADRA Among the Most Transparent
ADRA - International

•  As Global Food Crisis Escalates, ADRA Provides Short and Long-Term Solutions
ADRA - International

•  UMCOR Hotline for October 21, 2008
UMCOR - USA

MORE >>

Latest news

•  Ecuador says CIA infiltrated its military

•  INTERVIEW-Next U.S. president must scrap Guantanamo- Amnesty

•  ANALYSIS-UN council urged to end inaction in Congo crisis

•  Guantanamo man's video moved al Qaeda to tears

•  Thousands protest as Peru cuts mining royalties

MORE >>
AlertNet news is provided by

Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-30T192702Z_01_JWV13_RTRIDSP_2_COLOMBIA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/JWV13.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-30T182436Z_01_TBL05_RTRIDSP_2_GEORGIA-OSSETIA-REFUGEES_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/TBL05.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-30T181510Z_01_MAG01_RTRIDSP_2_RUSSIA-INGUSHETIA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MAG01.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-30T173341Z_01_TBL07_RTRIDSP_2_GEORGIA-OSSETIA-REFUGEES_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/TBL07.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-30T172706Z_01_TBL01_RTRIDSP_2_GEORGIA-OSSETIA-REFUGEES_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/TBL01.htm

Freed former Colombian lawmaker Oscar Lizcano (R) smiles during a news conference at a hospital in Cali October 30, 2008. Lizcano escaped after being held captive for more than eight years ...



Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Fri Oct 31 01:57:17 2008