Ecuador tells Hil's ambassador bye bye

[rabs]

"Come on Heather. Why are you going around saying lies about me?"



By Associated Press, Tuesday, April 5, 2:12 PM

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador — Ecuador announced Tuesday the expulsion of the U.S. ambassador, apparently over a 2009 diplomatic cable divulged by WikiLeaks in which the envoy accuses Ecuador’s newly retired police chief of corruption and recommends he be stripped of his U.S. visa.

Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino announced the expulsion of Ambassador Heather Hodges at a news conference.

He said Hodges had not adequately explained the presumptions she expressed in the cables that leftist President Rafael Correa was aware of the “supposed acts of corruption by members of the police leadership and more specifically the former commander of the institution, Jaime Hurtado Vaca.”

In a separate statement issued by its Washington embassy, Ecuador stressed that expulsion was not directed against the Barack Obama administration. “It is unfortunate that the published documents on WikiLeaks have made it impossible to continue collaborating with the current ambassador to Quito, but we hope to work with a new ambassador,” the statement said.


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/ecuador-expels-us-a...

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Heather Hodges was named ambassador to Quito in 2008 by the dumbya administration.

This makes three South American countries sans Hillary ambassadors, Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela.

[EFerrari]

1. I wonder if his "corruption" includes not cooperating with La CIA.n/t

[rabs]

2. Will have to look for the circumstances in which he left the job

Hurtado was police commander for just over a year -- April 2008 to May 2009.

Don't know the details of why he left the job, or if he was "lefted" from it. Also don't know whether Hurtado was mixed up in the coup attempt this past Sept. 30.

Maybe he was, out of pique if he was fired.

Will look around this evening.

[Peace Patriot]

4. Trying to remember some U.S. mess about U.S. ambassador trying to appoint the police chief

or perhaps head of the narco division. I think it may have been the previous Dumbya ambassador. Maybe this is why Hodges was appointed in 2008? But it could have been an Assistant ambassador that caused the flap (he was probably CIA). I'm pretty sure it was a man. He interfered in the appointment of some police head--either the chief of the Ecuadoran national police or head of a major division--one that was receiving U.S. funds/training (so probably narcotics)--and it caused a huge flap re U.S. arrogance. Don't think it caused the expulsion of the U.S. Ambassador but might have cause the expulsion of the Assistant Ambassador. And I can't recall if Hurtado was involved--but that might be a fruitful line of inquiry about this current flap.

[EFerrari]

7. I remembered that mess vaguely because it was so outrageous

for State to treat Ecuador like a bunch of lackeys.

I don't know if Hurtado is clean or not or what. But, it's clear that this BushCo appointee was used to overstepping and that's bad for both countries in the short and long run.

[Judi Lynn]

8. Bush ambassadors acted like mad dogs toward people in leftist governments.

It completely mocked any possible believe they could ever be "diplomats". They were publicly scornful, disrectful, hostile.

I will never forget what Charles Shapiro, _Bush's ambassador to Venezuela did during the coup: he ran to great the coup President, and threw his spindley little arms around him. He also gave a dinner at the embassy, and featured an entertainer who dressed as a frumpy woman, and brought a puppet "Hugo" which he used to ridicule the elected President.

Real class, huh?

They all did things to get attention for themselves in order to be seen as taking a public position against the elected government, all over the place.

Remember that in Bolivia, a tv crew caught the ambassador out after midnight, meeting in Santa Cruz with those white anti-native Bolivian, racist separatists in a private meeting, with guards posted at the door. Same ambssador in place when the US Peace Corps worker was told to spy for them, and bring them any information he learned on Venezuelan or Cuban people working in Bolivia.

It goes on and on and on.

It will take orders from the top, and good appointments to get ambassadors acting like diplomats, like the ones other countries send to their embassies.

[Judi Lynn]

10. We all gained from your continued effort to penetrate this cable. Thank you. n/t

[Peace Patriot]

5. Here's the earlier flap of U.S. Embassy vs Ecuador, over police appointment...

Ecuador expels second US diplomat - 2/19/2009

Ecuador has expelled a second American diplomat in just over a week, accusing both officials of interfering in its internal affairs.

Foreign minister Falconi gave Mr Sullivan 48 hours to leave the country

Ecuador has expelled a second American diplomat in just over a week, accusing both officials of interfering in its internal affairs.

Both US officials were accused of meddling with police appointments in a US-funded anti-narcotics programme.

Washington has rejected the charges and called the expulsions unjustified.
Aid dispute

Last week, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa ordered US customs attache Armando Astorga to leave on similar charges.

It accused Mr Astorga of being "insolent and foolish" and said he had treated Ecuador like a colony by trying to dictate the Ecuadoran police's choice of a commander for an anti-smuggling unit in return for $340,000 in US aid.

The Ecuadorean government accused Mr Sullivan of trying to do the same thing.

"Following the Astorga affair, Sullivan also placed conditions on logistics cooperation with the police," Mr Falconi said. (MORE)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7898432.stm

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Can't be sure but it doesn't look like Hurtado was involved in this. However, Hurtado may have been, so it's something to look for.

Also, Hurtado was probably appointed to help cleanse the police/security forces of CIA assets. That would explain U.S. interest in smearing him. Or it could explain the ambassador's personal agenda. She couldn't recruit Hurtado thus had to paint him as corrupt to explain her own failure. (Gotta beware of all kind of "agendas" in these cables--personal as well as corporate/war profiteer/government.)

It is just LAUGHABLE--and I mean belly laughs--to imagine a U.S. ambassador all pissy about corruption! Criminy, the entire government of Colombia was being run as a criminal enterprise--including thousands of murders--with U.S. blessings, and funding! And the fascists running Honduras are stealing hand over fist from the people. Wherever the U.S. gets a boot in, corruption flourishes--often murderous corruption.

[rabs]

6. You might have pinpointed the real reason for the accusatory cable

x-posting from LBN thread:

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From your post:

However, Hurtado was probably appointed to help cleanse the police/security forces of CIA assets. That would explain U.S. interest in smearing him.

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Correa gave a radio interview in the city of Puno this afternoon in which he said that the accusations against Hurtado were probably because (Hurtado) helped to dismantle the (police) units that were financed by the CIA and paid by the U.S. Embassy.

Correa said the cable was full of "bad faith" and that it was always suspected that Hodges was a member of the (U.S.) extreme right-wing opposed to his government.

Correa said the meddling of the ambassador in Ecuador's internal affairs was "very grave" and that the cable had information about internal police matters, which showed the police had been infiltrated.

Correa said that at least in Latin America, (U.S.) colonialism is finished.

More in Spanish

http://www4.elcomercio.com/politica/Correa-Hodges-es-ex...

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Btw, Hodges spoke this afternoon about the matter and said she was "sad" to have to leave. She said she had not had time to consult with hil/valenzuela about what to say.

Another btw, the government said she was not "expelled" but declared persona non grata and told to leave as soon as possible. (Not too sure there is much difference there.)



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[Judi Lynn]

9. Thanks for cross-posting your and Peace Patriot's work on this subject.

Sure looks as if someone as penetrated all the way through, and uncovered the real reason for that odd cable.

It DOES match in form other behavior we have seen in and from the State Department.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Hideous choice for "ambassador". W. really knew how to pick'em, didn't he?

You know the guy was dirty if a U.S. ambassador appointed by W. charges him.

Ecuador didn't gain a thing from having this beastie there. I'll bet the air there seems cleaner already.

On edit, rec.