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RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHQT #0027 0202134
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 202134Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY QUITO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0673
INFO RHMFIUU/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO
UNCLAS QUITO 000027
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PHUM MARR UN HA EC
SUBJECT: TFAH01: Ecuador on assistance for Haiti
REF: STATE 4854; STATE 4807; STATE 4904
1. (U) Poloff delivered points (refs A-C) to Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Undersecretary for Coordination and Planning Galo Yepez,
and Acting Director General for North American Affairs Fernando
Chavez. Both officials expressed their support for current U.S.
assistance efforts and the need for military personnel for aid
distribution and security. Yepez said that Ecuador's foreign
policy puts solidarity within Latin America high on its agenda, and
the Ecuadorian aid should be seen in that light.
2. (U) According to Yepez, the GOE plans to send a second official
aid flight to Haiti, departing on Friday, January 22. He expressed
concern about receiving permission to land. Poloff reiterated
points in Ref B and advised that the GOE should call the Haiti
Flight Operations Coordination Center as soon as possible. Yepez
said he would put the Ecuadorian air force colonel in charge of the
operation in touch with the DAO as soon as possible to ensure
coordination. The flight will apparently include two water
treatment units, canned food, high-energy biscuits donated by WFP,
and materials to resupply Ecuadorian teams on the ground. Yepez
thanked the U.S. military for assistance in off-loading supplies
from the first Ecuadorian aid flight, on January 7.
3. (SBU) Poloff raised recent press reports about accusations that
the U.S. was invading Haiti. Both MFA officials laughed, and said
they had both been to Haiti and understood that security had to be
a high priority. Yepez, who was on the Ecuadorian aid flight on
January 7, said it was clear to him that the Marines (and other
U.S. military personnel) "had been invited." Yepez said Ecuador
was also concerned about migration of Haitians. He noted Ecuador
had relatively open doors, and that four recent arrivals from Haiti
have requested permission for 16 family members to join them.
Yepez expects more of the same, and said it was important for the
international community to continue to deliver aid "in situ."
CHRITTON