06 March 2008
Rice Urges Resolution to the Colombian-Ecuadorian Crisis
Terrorist groups should not be permitted in cross-border regions, she says
Washington -- The United States supports a diplomatic resolution of the current border crisis between Colombia and Ecuador, which has strained regional security relations.
The crisis began when Colombian Army commandos conducted a cross-border raid into Ecuador March 1 to capture elements of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that had taken refuge there to evade Colombian security forces. In the raid, a senior FARC leader, Raul Reyes, was among two dozen terrorists killed by the commandos. In addition, valuable intelligence was acquired from seized laptop computers belonging to the group.
Following that commando incursion, Ecuador responded by sending approximately 3,200 soldiers to its border with Colombia on March 3. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also sent about 9,000 troops to its border adjacent to Colombia and Ecuador.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stated that "the United States stands strongly for the diplomatic resolution of this recent set of circumstances." At the same time, Rice warned that letting terrorist groups use cross-border areas for safe havens must not be permitted. "It shows that everyone needs to be vigilant about the use of border areas by terrorist organizations like FARC," she said.
Rice's comments came after the Organization of American States concluded a compromise resolution March 5 -- drafted jointly by Ecuador and Colombia -- that acknowledges Colombia violated Ecuadorian territory on March 1 in pursuit of elements of the FARC terrorist group. "That act has triggered a serious crisis between those two countries, leading to the breaking off of relations between the two states and grave tension in the region," the OAS resolution reads, in part.
In addition, the OAS agreed to form a commission led by OAS Secretary-General José Miguel Insulza to examine the circumstances of the Colombian incursion into Ecuador. It also calls for the foreign ministers of the Americas to study the circumstances of the incident.
Insulza said that he will select four foreign ministers to accompany him and that a report would be made by March 17.
State Department spokesman Tom Casey said March 4 that the United States had urged Ecuador and Colombia to work diplomatically through the OAS to resolve outstanding issues. "We also think that it's important, of course, that Colombia continue to do what it needs [to] do to respond to the threat posed by the FARC, which is a terrorist organization," he said at a Washington briefing.
Speaking at a briefing after a NATO ministers' meeting in Brussels March 6, Rice said that it is important to understand that the FARC is a long-standing terrorist organization in Colombia and "it's extremely important that they not be able to continue their efforts, which have led to the loss of life of many, many, many innocent Colombians." The FARC engages in drug trafficking, kidnapping, armed violence and other criminal activities to pay for its terrorist operations.
Rice was attending meetings in Brussels at NATO headquarters and at the European Union. This was her final stop on a trip that began earlier in the week to Egypt, the West Bank of the Palestinian territories, and Israel. While in the Middle East, Rice encouraged Israelis and Palestinians to resume peace negotiations begun earlier in 2008 following the November 2007 Annapolis peace conference.
