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INSIDEREPORTS
| Friday 17
September 2010 |
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Firm
Steps
Toward
Normalization
of
Ecuador-Colombia
Relations
By
Pedro
Ríoseco
QUITO (Prensa
Latina)
- The
recently-concluded
meeting
between
the
foreign
ministers
of
Ecuador
and
Colombia
in the
Colombian
border
city of
Ipiales
marked
an
important
step
forward
in
normalizing
political
and
diplomatic
relations
between
the two
countries.
An
arduous
road
lies
ahead to
achieve
the
atmosphere
of trust
and the
guarantee
of
security
required
by
Ecuador
and
other
South
American
countries,
especially
because
of the
presence
of a
large
number
of U.S.
military
forces
on seven
Colombian
bases.
This and
other
issues
will be
addressed
at an
upcoming
meeting
of the
Committee
of
Sensitive
Considerations,
convened
by the
foreign
ministers
for next
October
in
Ecuador.
Another
important
announcement
made by
Ecuadorian
Foreign
Minister
Ricardo
Patiño
at the
end of
the
meeting
in
Ipiales
was that
the
Commission
of
Vicinity
would
meet in
late
October
in
Bogotá.
This
commission
is
charged
with
institutional
follow-up
of
issues
related
to
bilateral
relations
and
joint
projects,
and its
members
include
local
and
regional
authorities
of the
two
countriesâ�Ö
border
areas.
With
respect
to the
Rumichaca
International
Bridge,
it was
agreed
to widen
it, from
two
lanes to
four, as
soon as
possible
and
technical
studies
were
expected
to be
completed
within
three
months.
The two
countriesâ�Ö
transport
ministers
will
meet in
the
coming
days to
oversee
the
completion
of these
studies
within
the time
period
set by
the
foreign
ministers.
Another
highlight
of the
Ipiales
meeting
was an
agreement
for
Colombia
to sell
energy
to
Ecuador
when
needed
as the
drought
season
approaches,
as long
as
Colombia
has a
surplus.
Also, a
binational
agreement
was
signed
between
the two
foreign
ministries
to join
efforts
and
advance
actions
for
developing
projects
of
electric
power
generation
using
geothermal
resources
in the
border
area.
These
resources
are
especially
located
in the
Chiles-Cerro/Negro-Tufiño
area,
and if
technical,
environmental
and
financial
feasibility
for
construction
and
operation,
an
agreement
is to be
signed
in
September
with a
timetable.
In face
of the
difficulties
for
crossing
the
border,
it was
also
decided
to
convene
a
binational
technical
committee
with
customs
and
phytosanitary
officials
to study
how to
ease the
flow of
people
and
freight.
With
respect
to
common
hydrographic
basins,
it was
decided
to
convene
a
binational
technical
committee
for
supporting
joint
projects
and
their
financing.
With
respect
to the
important
issue of
refugees
in
Ecuador,
Colombian
Foreign
Minister
María
Angela
Holgín
highlighted
an
agreement
to
create a
commission
made up
of
ministers
from the
social
sector,
which
was
planning
to meet
before
the end
of the
month to
address
the
problems
of that
group.
Holguín
said on
Thursday
that,
based on
the
agreement
reached
the two
countries,
diplomatic
relations
could be
restored
in a
"two-to-three
month"
period.
However,
one
obstacle
is the
trial in
Ecuador
of
newly-elected
Colombian
President
Juan
Manuel
Santos
for his
alleged
responsibility
in the
bombing
of
Ecuador
on March
1, 2008,
in
Angostura.
The
Ecuadorian
government
has
repeatedly
said
that the
trial of
Santos
is a
legal
action
independent
of the
executive
power
and
therefore
does not
interfere
in
decisions
inherent
to the
judicial
power.
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Rica
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9642
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