Translated from Resistenze,
19/01/2008
The President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa said that the new year will be decisive in changing the current system, and ending the old structures, for the benefit of all citizens.
In Guayaquil, October 9, the head of state celebrated the first anniversary of his government in a crowd of demonstrators.
The president thanked the crowd, and numerous festives, indicating that the situation decidedly contradicted the predictions of his political opponents:
"The country belongs to everyone, so this is the homeland".
In the course of the event Correa outlined the plans of his progressive government.
"It will be a difficult year, full of obstacles where the fight will be against those who attempts to maintain their privileges (..) But we are finished with the old structures of power, with the gangs, the corrupt elite (.. ) with the Constituent Assembly to change this perverse system and we have the People's Revolution, both of which the people want. "
The Ecuadorian president has warned about enemy countermeasures, referring to the demonstration against the government on January 24, the opposition is beginning to react against the wage increase, against the elimination of the hourly contracts and against the social benefits.
The event was attended by prefects, mayors, representatives of the parish, social groups, movements and political parties, assemblistas, students and workers from throughout the country.
About the future concrete steps his government, Rafael Correa has announced that it will establish a single wage system for the public sector, to try to eliminate the privileges of certain sectors of the bureaucracy and pseudo-autonomies. It is clear that there is inequality in the existing State agencies, where a manager can earn between eight/ ten thousand US dollars and use just 200. The proposal was confirmed by news spread by radio from Mount Santa Elena, in the town of the same name, and the Organic Law of Civil Service and Administrative Career (Losca) will be reformed
Correa says: "We want to rationalise salaries in the public sector to have a real administrative sector, which stems from a true meritocracy, and to do away with this pseudo-autonomy."
In fact, some institutions have not followed the decree signed in January 2007, the decree which stipulates that all civil servants must earn less than those in government.
Correa, has therefore lowered the salary to just over four thousand dollars.
The Correa government is investing in the culture and social development of the country.
The Ecuadorian president has inaugurated the building of the Ministry of Culture, in the headquarters of Continental Bank, one of the banks closed during the financial collapse of 1999.
"This will prove, even symbolically, that we want to really change things, and we will do it with other majestic structures belonging to corrupt bankers, such as the seat of the Popular Bank, now used by the Central Bank, which will be delivered to the Ministry of Education .
The change we are beginning to see today is of more cultural venues that can count on appropriate structures to house exhibitions for artists and craftsmen, both national and international.
"In these twelve months moves have been made to break the economic power, which culminate with the Constituent Assembly.
We will make a new Magna Carta for the country, for all Ecuadorians, completely free from the power of the mafias who destroy the nation and squander the natural resources of the nation. ".
The budget for the first year of government is positive, Correa has defined:
"Absolutely innovative, didactic and with surprising figures and data, so that we can say that on the economic front we had a very good year". Other news: growth has been registered in areas unrelated to oil, and in various social sectors.
"I will not be satisfied until there are no more unemployed or poor in the country.
We have started to walk, but this is just the beginning, we still have a long road ahead of us".
In the budget we should take account of the recovery of hope by the people who bet on change and voted for a Constituent Assembly in which 80 of its 130 members belong to the project of the government.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Correa: Ecuador/Bolivia Opp in Tandem
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| Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa |
There exists one plan of the separatist Ecuador Guayaquil oligarchy and that in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, to forge the defeat here of the new Constitution in the referendum and also destroy the government of Evo Morales, the president declared.
In remarks to Radio Cristal, Correa said these oligarchs are represented by the Social Christian Guayaquil Mayor Jaime Nebot, who defends the outdated partycracy model.
That system is falling to pieces, but the economic powers do not want to lose the privileges they have had for decades, he noted.
During his radio program on Saturday, Correa said "the oligarchy in Guayaquil and that in Santa Cruz have even signed agreements to turn these regions into autonomies, which in fact is separatism.
He stressed that his government wants to change the current situation, generate employment and fairly distribute the country's wealth; and so it is facing the oligarchy's opposition.
Ecuador, Nicaragua to Reject Venezuela Alliance, Universal Says
By Steven Bodzin
Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Ecuador and Nicaragua won't join a military alliance against the U.S. proposed by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, El Universal reported.
Ecuador Defense Minister Wellington Sandoval told radio station Democracia that while President Rafael Correa would make the decision, he was sure that his country would ``maintain its line of peace and respect for the self-determination of the people,'' Universal said, citing the Associated Press.
The president of Nicaragua's congress, Edwin Castro, ruled out the possibility of the Nicaraguan army fighting with Venezuela against the U.S. as the Central American country's constitution makes the military a purely defensive agency, the newspaper said, citing Deutsche Presse Agentur.
Bolivian defense minister Walker San Miguel said the proposal hadn't yet been considered, Universal reported, citing Agence France-Presse.
Ecuador Govt to Control Food Prices
Quito, Jan 29 (Prensa Latina) Ecuadorian Agriculture Minister Walter Poveda asserted on Tuesday that the government will control the prices of rice, milk corn, banana, and wheat flour, to protect the citizenry.
Criticizing the excessive rise in basic produce prices, he stressed "we understand price and market freedom, but not licentiousness."
The minister complained about the "dramatic situation of farmers, with prices continuously decreasing; there is no market intervention, and the farmers go bankrupt."
Thus he defended state intervention, as a regulating entity to guarantee agricultural production and prevent, "prices from continuous rising" in businesses.
He stressed that the government seeks "to protect consumers and producers to save crops, preserve them properly, and have a sustainable exportable offer."
Poveda also questioned the proposal to internationalize the prices of produce, when "salaries are not internationalized."
The minister made the statements after a rise in the price of basic produce was called harmful speculation to destabilize the government by President Rafael Correa.
Ascendant Copper Loses Mining Concessions in Ecuador
UpsideDownWorld, Tuesday, 29 January 2008
Ecuador’s government announced on Friday that it was revoking Ascendant Copper’s mining concessions for the controversial Junin Project.
Mining and Petroleum Minister Galo Chiriboga told reporters that the government decided to revoke a total of 587 mining concessions for reasons that include companies’ failure to pay proper fees on concessions.
“As an Intag resident, I am ecstatic to be rid of a source of conflict that was tearing our communities apart,” said Carlos Zorrilla, executive director of Defensa y Conservación Ecológica de Intag (DECOIN), a local grassroots environmental organization. “In our particular case, it is a clear triumph of community-based resistance over the destructive power of transnational corporations.”
Ascendant Copper accused the government of leftist President Rafael Correa of bowing to pressure from environmental groups. John Haigh, Ascendant's investor relations chief, said that the Ecuadorian government’s actions were “astounding”, “absolute bologna” and that the decision was “rushed.”
“We feel that there is no validity in this at all…we are going to protect those concessions with every legal alternative open to us,” said Haigh.
The company also denies any wrongdoing. "According to Ascendant Copper's records, all concession payments regarding each of its projects have been made, on time, as stated by Ecuadorian law," the company stated. "The company has complied with all government requests, abided by all Ecuadorian mining regulations and remains in compliance with all laws."
Heads in The Sand, Hands in Violence
But the decision shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Ascendant. Just four months earlier the government ordered the company to suspend all activities at its Junin project for violating the country’s mining laws. The government also warned at the time that the company’s concessions could eventually be revoked.
"We will see how the facts evolve, but eventually this could lead to a revocation," Minister Chiriboga said at a press conference in September of 2007. "For those concessions that have violated legal and constitutional regulations...we will apply the law and that will be our mining industry policy."
Using the same tactic as they did this year, Ascendant immediately responded with a press release denying any wrong-doing. This suggests that either company officials are running their business with their heads in the sand, or more likely, that they are attempting to deliberatly mislead not only the Ecuadorian government and the public, but their own investors as well.
The mining project, which would cause massive deforestation, climate change, and contamination of the local water supply in a part of Ecuador considered by scientists as a “global center of biodiversity,” has met resistance since the time the company bought the concessions. Human Rights lawyers representing people affected by the project in Intag filed lawsuits claiming that Ascendant’s purchase of the concessions were illegal because the government failed to consult with local communities as mandated by Article 88 of Ecuador’s constitution.
In addition, the company’s activities have caused social discord with local communities in the area and have been tainted by human rights abuses. In December of 2005, some residents upset over the government’s inability (or refusal) to protect their rights and interests, burnt down a building owned by the company (nobody was injured), mirroring actions taken a decade earlier against a Japanese company which left only after their camp was burnt down.
Then their have been local protests, marches in the capital and public decrees issued by local government officials demanding the company leave. But rather than respect the wishes of a majority of the local public, Ascendant chose to continue the battle, a decision which would eventually lead to violence.
In December, the Ecumenical Human Rights Commission (CEDHU) (a human rights organization based in Ecuador) denounced violent actions by “paramilitaries” reportedly linked to the company. The paramilitaries wore camouflaged uniforms, were armed with machine guns and handguns, and used tear gas and fired shots at unarmed community members from Junin (some of which was captured on video).
That same month the United Nations decided to investigate whether pro-mining factions had framed DECOIN member Carlos Zorrilla for an alleged robbery and assault in order to silence mining opposition in the region. Zorrilla, who was found innocent of the charges, went into hiding minutes before his home was invaded by local police, some wearing ski masks and heavily armed. He remained in hiding for several months.
Then in July 2007, Amnesty International issued an action alert for ongoing death threats and attacks against mining opponents. These are just a few examples of high profile cases.
Changes Urgently Needed
With the government in the midst of re-writing the country's constitution through a popular assembly, more changes to mining laws can be expected.
“Large-scale mining needs to have clear rules, but the big question remains if we really want open-pit mining," said Alberto Acosta, head of the government-controlled assembly.
He suggested that other changes, in addition to banning open pit mining which what Ascendant wanted to use in Junin, would include prohibiting mining in nature reserves and requiring community consent for any mining project.
This departure from
But Karyn Keenan, Program Officer at the Halifax Initiative, a Canadian Coalition working to create a global economy that prioritizes human rights, labor rights and environmental sustainability over narrow corporate interests, believes
“The Ecuadorian example illustrates why it’s such a disappointment it hasn’t happened and why it’s so urgently needed,” said Keenan. “It’s a call for the Canadian government to make some policy changes.” In the meantime, Ecuadorians have more work to do.
“Until the government declares areas like the Toisan Range here in Intag, and the
Cyril Mychalejko is an editor at www.UpsideDownWorld.org. He can be reached at Cyril(at)upsidedownworld.org.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Ecuador Prioritizes Mining, Oil
Quito, Jan 28 (Prensa Latina) Changes in the oil and mining sectors are the Ecuadorian government's top priorities on Monday, aimed at increasing income and guaranteeing that those resources are State-run.
President Rafael Correa has given a 45-day term for the conclusion of renegotiations of contracts with foreign oil companies with investments in the country.
Over the weekend, Correa deplored plundering in the sector in which previous social-Christian governments changed the modalities of agreements to the detriment of the Ecuadorian people.
The president offered three choices to the entities: sign agreements for the provision of services, keep delivering 99 percent of surplus income resulting from the costly commercialization of oil, or end their operations.
Referring to the last choice, he pointed out the State promises to return investment funds, and Petroecuador state oil company will assume exploitation of those fields.
Ecuador wants to end oil negotiations in 45 days
QUITO, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said he wants oil firms to strike an agreement with the government to overhaul their contracts in 45 days as the state seeks to increase its control over the key sector.
Ecuador started negotiations with five oil firms to switch from contracts that allow companies keep part of the oil they extract to deals in which the state will keep all the crude in exchange for a service fee.
Correa said that if companies are not willing to strike a deal they can either leave the country or continue to pay a windfall tax that the firms said makes their business unviable.
"If they are not happy there is no problem, we don't want to swindle anybody. How much have they invested? $200 million. Here are your $200 million and have a nice day because (state oil firm) Petroecuador will exploit those fields," Correa said during his Saturday radio show.
"We are not going to allow them to keep taking our oil," said Correa, a former economy minister who last year grabbed nearly all windfall revenues generated by oil firms above a set contractual price.
The companies participating in the negotiations include Spain's Repsol, China's Andes Petroleum, Brazil's Petrobras's, France's Perenco and U.S.-owned City Oriente.
"I don't see this a threat, this is actually good for us," said a top industry executive who asked not to be named. "The government has been delaying negotiations and we want to reach an agreement now."
He added that negotiations could lead to a hybrid contract in which companies will still keep part of the oil, but the government receive a bigger share of their revenues.
Ecuador, Opec's smallest member and South America's fifth largest oil producer, has an output of around 500,000 barrels per day.Ecuador President Correa Sets March 8 Deadline for Oil Talks
By Stephan Kueffner
Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Ecuador's President Rafael Correa set a March 8 deadline for oil companies to agree to changes in terms for oil contracts with the smallest member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
``We have to put a limit on these negotiations: 45 days,'' Correa said in his weekly radio address today. The talks began on Jan. 21. Even with a long-running rally in crude oil prices, Ecuador's oil production shrank by 9.8 percent in 2007, weighing on gross domestic product growth, according to the central bank.
The companies will have the option of agreeing to be paid for getting the oil out of the ground, as the government wants, or to continue under present terms and pay the government a 99 percent tax for windfall profits above contracted prices.
Companies also may leave, in which case the country will pay them for investments carried out to date, said Correa, a U.S.- educated economist.
Five negotiating teams for the government are meeting on weekdays with the companies, which include state-owned Petroleo Brasileiro SA; France's Perenco SA; Spain's biggest energy company, Repsol YPF SA; Chinese-owned Andes Petroleum Co.; and the U.S.'s City Oriente Ltd.
To contact the reporter on this story: Stephan Kueffner in Quito at skueffner@bloomberg.net .
Ecuador revokes hundreds of mine concessions
Reuters, Friday January 25 2008 via The Guardian
By Alonso Soto and Alexandra Valencia
QUITO, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Ecuador's leftist government revoked hundreds of mining concessions on Friday, highlighting its determination to boost control over the Andean nation's natural resources.
Shares of Canada's junior mining company Ascendant Copper plunged 28 percent in Toronto after it lost a high-profile project. But the measure had little effect on some of the biggest players in the sector.
Mining and Petroleum Minister Galo Chiriboga told reporters the state was revoking 587 mining contracts because companies failed to pay fees on concessions for reserves of copper, gold and other metals.
"Based on legal norms, (the government) decided to revoke these contracts," he said.
Ascendant, which lost its Junin project, accused the government of President Rafael Correa of bowing to pressure from environmental groups.
"None of this is true ... the government was rushed into this," John Haigh, Ascendant's investor relations chief, said in a telephone interview.
Ecuador has little precious metal output, but dozens of foreign companies are exploring in the sector where nearly 4,000 concessions have been awarded.
By scrapping concessions, Correa sent a signal to the private sector that he wanted to overhaul rules for the industry. But the ally of Venezuelan's leftist President Hugo Chavez also avoided a battle with the most important foreign investors who generate revenue for the impoverished nation.
Last year, Correa moved more aggressively against foreign oil companies, ordering them to hand over almost all of their windfall profits from high prices.
Since then, Correa has shown signs of moderating his radical policies as his popularity ratings have fallen mainly due to perceptions he is too confrontational.
CORREA RULES
Ecuador's Deputy Mining Minister Jose Serrano later told Reuters that Friday's move was "not an action against mining but a move to put the sector in order."
He warned that the government could revoke more concessions later this year as part of an ongoing probe.
Those concessions will be later auctioned, but he denied speculation that revoked concessions will be later awarded to a planned state mining company.
Serrano said the move would not affect the country's biggest companies, which include Canadian miners Aurelian Resources, Corriente Resources and Iamgold Corp.
In the case of Ascendant, the government had already limited the company's work. Last year, it ordered the company to halt the Junin project's operations on charges it had violated mining regulations.
Serrano said Ascendant can appeal the order.
Friday's announcement should help appease environmentalists and residents across southern Ecuador, where most of the mining concessions are located. They have lobbied Correa to increase control over mining concessions following complaints the state was indiscriminately handing out contracts in previous years.
The government has already started negotiations with Aurelian and Corriente on their terms for doing business in Ecuador and boost state participation in current deals.
In general, it wants to rewrite rules for the industry by introducing royalties, making it more difficult to grant concessions and setting a windfall tax that should ensure more state revenue.
Ecuador Assembly Clear on Salaries
Quito, Jan 25 (Prensa Latina) Constituent Assembly member Maria Paula Romo highlighted on Friday the need to publish the full duties of that authority regarding a salary ceiling for the public sector.
"It is important, above all that the Constituent Assembly does not lose sight of the need to communicate clearly what it is doing," said Romo.
That established ceiling does not affect most of the Ecuadorians of the public sector, only a small number known as the golden bureaucrats.
The assembly member clarified that with this legislation, which will come into force on March 1, they seek to improve equality, and highlighted that this constitutional duty does not freeze the public sector's salary.
"This does not mean a general decrease in salaries," rather the entire opposite, he asserted.
He said compensations in the sector, due to dismissals or another measures will have a $42,000 ceiling, and travel allowances and bonds will be eliminated as a component of the new salaries.
The resolution will mainly affect officials of the autonomous entities, the salaries of whom exceed $8,000 dollars and have been criticized by President Rafael Correa, for working to the Ecuadorians' disadvantage.
According to official statistics, Ecuador has 467,000 public employees, and hardly over ten percent have salaries that exceed $5,000.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Ecuador lifts visa rules for Chines
PressTV, 25 January, 2008
Ecuador has decided to eliminate the visa requirement for Chinese tourists who travel within 90 days in this South American country.
According to the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry, the decision was made on behalf of Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa.
The move is to strengthen bilateral relations and help promote tourism industry, Xinhua reported.
The new rule is to become effective as of February, 15, 2008.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, bilateral trade and economic relations have made new headway. China mainly imports banana, prawns and fish meat from Ecuador and mainly exports to Ecuador light industrial products, industrial and agricultural tools and mechanical equipment.
Ecuador has decided to eliminate the visa requirement for Chinese tourists who travel within 90 days in this South American country.
According to the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry, the decision was made on behalf of Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa.
The move is to strengthen bilateral relations and help promote tourism industry, Xinhua reported.
The new rule is to become effective as of February, 15, 2008.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, bilateral trade and economic relations have made new headway. China mainly imports banana, prawns and fish meat from Ecuador and mainly exports to Ecuador light industrial products, industrial and agricultural tools and mechanical equipment.
Ecuador to avoid exploitation of oil field in Amazonian forest
QUITO, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa Thursday ordered the creation of the ITT Yasuni Project Technical Secretariat to avoid the exploitation of the Ishpingo Tambococha Tiputini (ITT) oil field in an Amazonian natural reserve.
The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry said in a communique that the ITT Yasuni Project Technical Secretariat, created as a temporary branch of the Foreign Ministry, will be in charge of obtaining contributions to a trust fund among other activities.
The Ecuadorian government wants to establish the "Yasuni ITT Trust Fund,"an autonomous patrimony that will allow the adequate administration of contributions to use them for investment plans and utilize its resources to finance Ecuadorian Government Development Plans.
The Ecuadorian government expects that the secretariat would contribute at least 350 million U.S. dollars annually to avoid the exploitation of the oil field in ITT within Yasuni National Park, a highly bio-diverse Amazonian forest considered as one of the "world's lungs".
Petroleum is Ecuador's main export which finances 35 percent of the government's budget.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Powerful mayor challenges Ecuador's Correa
By Alonso Soto
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (Reuters) Jan 24, 2008 - Carried on the shoulders of supporters, the mayor of Ecuador's largest city led a march of tens of thousands on Thursday, cementing his new role as the top opposition threat to President Rafael Correa.
Jaime Nebot has leveraged his popularity in the business city of Guayaquil to challenge the leftist Correa's plans for greater state control over the economy.
Thousands of backers waving the city's blue and white flag swarmed the streets of the sultry port city chanting "Long live Guayaquil, dammit," and "Down with Correa.".
"As long as you are alive and I am alive, he will never push us around," Nebot shouted to the crowd. "We will not be guinea pigs of a failed experiment."
One in six Ecuadoreans live in Guayaquil, the country's richest city. It is also Correa's birthplace and has become a key political battleground for the ally of Venezuela's left-wing president, Hugo Chavez.
Last week, Correa gathered a similar crowd of about 40,000 cheering supporters in Guayaquil to mark his first year in office, in which he has wrested most institutional powers from a fragmented opposition but also seen his popularity ebb.
The U.S.-trained economist's popularity dropped to 57 percent this month, near the lowest point of his presidency, with pollsters saying more voters have been turned off by his abrasive style and a flagging economy.
OPPOSITION LEADER
Nebot, who has less influence outside Guayaquil, says he has no plans to run for president if a new assembly rewriting a constitution calls presidential and legislative elections as early as this year.
He is expected, however, to run for mayor again and will use his popularity in Ecuador's coastal region to call on voters to reject Correa.
Nebot agrees with Correa's promises to overhaul Ecuador's foreign debt and renegotiate oil contracts but complained the president seeks too much power.
"If the government does something good I do not oppose that but if they seek to destroy Guayaquil and if the president wants to become an emperor ... then I will fiercely oppose that," he told Reuters while cruising the city on Thursday.
In almost eight years as mayor, the two-time presidential contender is credited with turning Guayaquil into a model of urban renewal with wide highways and towering glass buildings.
Nebot, who says he is a distant relative of Correa, has a 90 percent popularity rating in Guayaquil and is the best-known political figure in Ecuador after the president, according to pollster Informe Confidencial.
"Nebot could take votes from Correa in upcoming elections ... hurting his influence over a new Congress and in local governments," said Gandhy Espinosa of the polling firm.
Nebot's Christian Social Party and other traditional parties have lost much of their influence and won few seats in a powerful new assembly set up to rewrite the constitution.
With the power of other opposition leaders waning, Correa has focused his attacks on Nebot, saying he is part of a political old guard he dismisses as corrupt.
Correa compared him to a shantytown hit-man and Nebot fired back by saying that Correa is one of the "three stooges" along with Venezuela's Chavez and Bolivia's leftist president, Evo Morales.
"Correa's constant attacks have pushed Nebot into the ring," said Patrick Esteruelas, an analyst with Eurasia Group of political risk consultants. "He is the opposition's great white hope."
Ecuador Protests to Colombia
Quito, Jan 24 (Prensa Latina) Ecuador has made representations to Colombia in the wake of remarks by Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos, and denied that guerrilla leader Raul Reyes is in its territory.
"Colombia is aware that the Ecuadorian state does not know Reyes' whereabouts and would not accept the presence in its territory of any people who organize or commit violent acts affecting a third country," a note from the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry said.
Therefore, Santos' remarks about the stay of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) leader in Ecuador may distort the international image of this country, the document adds.
The text of the Ecuadorean Foreign Ministry notes that this nation is suffering the consequences of the Colombian internal conflict and the harmful effects of spraying with glyphosate.
This territory is exposed to problems arising from drug cultivation and trafficking in the neighboring country, and receives a significant flow of refugees and displaced people fleeing from armed conflict, the official note says.
The Foreign Ministry reiterates its commitment to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of Colombia, and will defend its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity against third parties
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Ecuador Betters South American Union Treaty
Quito, Jan 23 (Prensa Latina) Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa improved the constituent treaty of the South American Union of Nations (UNASUR) with representatives from Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina and Bolivia.
The event, held at Carondelet Palace (Presidential headquarters) took place before next weeks meeting in Cartagena, Colombia, with foreign ministers, members of UNASUR.
The government's digital note revealed the meeting tackled aspects of the constituent treaty of the South American Union of nations but without details.
A few days ago, Ecuador sent a proposal of integration aspects of that organization and Correa discussed them with officials in charged of the countries previously mentioned, revealed the communication.
Foreign ministers from Ecuador Maria Isabel Salvador and Venezuela Nicolas Maduro also attended the talks, including UNASUR pro-tempore secretary Pablo Solon from Bolivia
Ecuador Rules Out FTA with US
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We don't want a FTA, but we are working to reach a commercial agreement with Washington that is beneficial for both parties, Salvador noted.
She also ruled out that Ecuador would beg the US Congress to renovate the ATPDA (Law for Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication).
The Ecuadorean foreign minister pointed out that it is a right gained by the country's success in fighting drug trafficking, and the government is just making efforts for an extension.
Salvador said the country would sign a commercial agreement with Chile to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
The accord will be penned in March, during Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa's official visit to Chile.
Finally, she repeated Ecuador's decision to consider the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) and the National Liberation Army as irregular groups
Ecuador Seeks Greater Control Over Oil
QUITO, Ecuador
Forbes.com, 22 Jan, 2008 - Ecuador's leftist government has begun renegotiating contracts with five international oil companies to boost state control over the country's crude, the oil minister said on Monday.
Forbes.com, 22 Jan, 2008 - Ecuador's leftist government has begun renegotiating contracts with five international oil companies to boost state control over the country's crude, the oil minister said on Monday.
President Rafael Correa's administration is seeking to replace service contracts with foreign companies that extract crude oil, allowing the state to pay firms a fee for their service, but making sure the government owns all the crude, Oil and Mines Minister Galo Chiriboga told reporters.
Under the current contract, foreign companies own the oil they extract.
"We are the owners of this resource, and we are convinced that this is the best mechanism, as much for us as it is for them, at the moment," Chiriboga said.
Correa, a close ally of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, signed a decree in October that nearly doubled the state's share of windfall oil profits - earnings on oil sold above prices fixed in company contracts.
The five companies with which officials are negotiating are: U.S.-based City Oriente, Spain's Repsol YPF, Brazil's state oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras, French-owned Perenco SA, and the Chinese company Andes Petroleum Corp.
Ecuador is South America's fifth-largest oil producer, churning out an average of 510,000 barrels of crude a day.
Last week, Correa's government announced it would invest $2 billion in its oil industry this year to increase production by 11 percent. Correa has blamed the country's less than 3 percent economic growth rate in 2007, one of the lowest in Latin America, on declining oil production.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Indigenous leaders take steps to make UN declaration law
| Posted: January 21, 2008 | |
| by: Rick Kearns / Indian Country Today | |
 | |
| QUITO, Ecuador - Indigenous leaders and other supporters from Ecuador and elsewhere are developing strategies to help all Native peoples turn the United Nations' declaration on indigenous rights into law across the hemisphere. From Dec. 16 to 18 in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, the leaders met for the ''International Conference: Formulation and Implementation of the Strategic Plan for the application of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.'' Organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE in Spanish), the Native-based School of Government and Public Policy, the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany and the Esquel Foundation, the conference addressed the issue through five ''work tables'': democracy, politics and autonomies; territories and natural resources; administration of justice; economics and development; and identity, culture and patrimony (which included intellectual, spiritual and cultural aspects). In the first work table, participants reported that they needed concrete plans and programs to define how they would participate democratically and how they would construct or reconstruct their own forms of government. No specific plans were mentioned, however, in the report. One idea was announced in the realm of economics. ''As we are living in a capitalistic system, the question of community enterprises or businesses'' was discussed, according to the events coordinator, Luis Maldonado, an indigenous activist and scholar at the School of Government and Public Policy. This type of business is being developed more quickly in Bolivia, where the nationalization of natural resources is progressing; and in Ecuador, Maldonado noted, ''a new conception of nationalization or 'citizenation' of the economy'' is approaching. (As of last November, Ecuador has a functioning Constituent Assembly that has, among other things, taken over the role of the national Congress and whose majority has pledged to develop pro-indigenous articles in the new constitution.) Identity and cross-cultural initiatives were announced as fundamental objectives that can be brought forward through education, which involves more than just involving bilingual studies to include intercultural approaches. Details on those approaches, which would include not just the indigenous peoples but all sectors of the respective societies, were not available at press time. For all societies, participants proposed two general strategies for the administration of justice: work toward enactment of the U.N. declaration as law of their respective republics, and formulation of proposals for laws to be presented to the national congresses. It was again noted that Bolivia had adopted indigenous rights as law of the land by adopting the U.N. bill as national legislation. Legal enforcement of these measures was addressed in a section dedicated to creating a system of inspectors or comptrollers for the effective application of indigenous rights. Maldonado pointed out that ''this has to do also with the diverse plans established by the United Nations, for example, with respect to the second decennial of the indigenous peoples and the proposals that are being formulated at the regional and sub-regional levels.'' ''The declaration is an important international instrument,'' Maldonado continued, ''that must be taken up by the indigenous peoples and their governments in spite of the limitations it still has.'' One of the limitations, according to the coordinator, involved the issue of free determination. Even though it is listed in the declaration, it remains constrained by the various national states and it does not permit ''a re-grouping of the different peoples and existing nationalities that are dispersed throughout different states.'' Another item of concern involved natural resources, which is causing conflicts throughout the hemisphere. ''The indigenous peoples only have the right to the free determination of the use of the ground on the surface and not of the sub-ground or underground, then this also is a fundamental limitation of what the declaration established,'' Maldonado stated. While the indigenous peoples of Ecuador have some cause for optimism, there are still unresolved issues involving their allies in the current government and the mining industries. The new Constituent Assembly, for instance, includes some indigenous members, and it is under the control of the Acuerdo Pais party of President Rafael Correa; Correa ran on a pro-indigenous platform in his campaign and has a few indigenous people in his cabinet. The Acuerdo Pais, along with allied groups, hold 80 of the 130 seats of the Constituent Assembly. Correa has introduced and helped pass some laws that partially nationalize some natural resources, and he is considered a strong ally of President Evo Morales of Bolivia, but there are still serious problems involving huge mining operations in the country. Many of these mineral businesses operate in indigenous areas where allegations of human rights abuses and severe pollution continue. Despite these limitations, Maldonado stated that the passage of the declaration involves ''a process, to continue advancing and to achieve the full range of rights that all people have in the international arena.'' |
Ecuadoran leader basks in pro-reform demonstration
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (AFP) 19 Jan, 2008 — Waving from a convertible to thousands of his followers lining the main avenue of Ecuador's most populous city, President Rafael Correa Saturday celebrated his first year in office, predicting a tough fight ahead for his socialist reforms.
"Get ready to continue fighting," the populist president told 100,000 people -- according to his own estimate -- who gathered around a makeshift stage where he sang and danced with his Foreign Minister Maria Isabel Salvador before delivering a speech.
"Confrontation is inevitable with party-run politics, mafias, corruption. But I'm convinced that, same as in 2007, every victory will be ours, every success will belong to the people of Ecuador and that the people's revolution will be irreversible."
Correa, 44, rose to power last year on a wave of leftist sentiment spreading through Latin America since Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was first elected in 1998.
Like Chavez and Bolivian President Evo Morales, Correa proposes to rewrite the constitution to institute socialist reforms and allow for presidential reelection. Currently he is serving a non-reelectable five-year term.
His first major confrontation came when all 57 members of Congress were fired in March of last year for opposing his reform plan. By plebiscite in September, a special assembly was created to draft a new constitution, which will be put to referendum in mid-July.
Correa hopes the new constitution will help regulate the economy and end the political volatility in a country that has seen eight presidents come and go in the past decade.
Correa on Saturday spared his followers no grief.
"I don't want to bring you down, but I'll be honest: the fight is just getting started and 2008 will be more difficult ... because together with the Constitutional Assembly we're going to change the system; once and for all we'll put an end to all these old structures" of power.
He also predicted failure for an anti-reform protest the opposition has organized for Thursday.
"Nobody pays any attention to them any more," Correa told his cheering followers. He called his opposition enemies "bullies, hoodlums and rich people who take the side of corrupt bankers" against the working class.
Opposition leaders claim Correa is destroying civil rights and local autonomy, and seeking to wield more power through his constitutional reforms.
Left-Wing Movement Ratifies Support for Ecuadorean Govt
Quito, Jan 19 (Prensa Latina) Thousands of supporters of the MPD (Democratic Popular Movement) and university students marched in this capital to support the government of President Rafael Correa.
After the buses bringing the MPD delegates from other provinces arrived at El Arbolito park, in downtown Quito, demonstrators marched to the Carondelet Palace (Presidential Palace) to reaffirm their support for Correa.
We are here to march in support of the Citizens' Revolution that the head of State is promoting with his process of change and reform in the country and for the construction of socialism, said MPD leader Ciro Guzman.
He pointed out that they will march in Guayaquil to celebrate the first anniversary of the Correa government.
We will express our unconditional support for the president as long as he continues to rule in favor of the needy people, he stressed.
Thousands of university students, who announced their participation in the march in Guayaquil, took part in this demonstration in support of Correa.
Marcelo Rivera, leader of the Federation of University Students of Ecuador, said some 3,000 youths would travel to Guayaquil to commemorate the first anniversary of the Citizens' Revolution.
We support Correa and the majority of Ecuadoreans who are determined to fight for a new homeland and socialism, he noted.
Ecuador Decentralizes and Reorganizes
Quito, Jan 18 (Prensa Latina) The new state administrative structure that establishes Ecuador's division into seven regions to guarantee better distribution of resources, is attracting the attention of the citizenry Friday.
The proposal of territorial decentralization, regionalization, and reorganization was presented to the national media by the chief of SENPLADES (National Planning and Development Office) Fander Falconi.
He explained that the plan is to group several provinces in an administrative region, considering their demographic, social, fiscal, risk, and infrastructure components.
This reform is part of President Rafael Correa's project to change the State, and should be included in the Constitution that the Constituent Assembly is elaborating.
The initiative is an attempt to end social and regional inequality and move toward a decentralization process of competence and resources.
Falconi said this would favor a progressive transference of attributions and functions from the central Executive to the local and intermediate governments of each region.
According to the proposal, there would be seven administrative regions and the cities of Quito, the capital, and Guayaquil, which has more than two million inhabitants, would be metropolitan districts.
The Galapagos Islands, due to its specific characteristics, will have a special administration.
Provincial and municipal governments fear losing their autonomies under the project, but Falconi said the new administrative division would not negatively affect the territories at all; rather it will benefit them, because greater assistance to the populations will be possible.
Radical reforms in Ecuador: an example for Canada?
  I am witnessing, for the first time in my life, a government that has won democratic power with a promise to implement badly needed political and economic reforms actually proceeding to do so. | ||
Rafael Correa | ||
by Roger Hollander
From Rabble.ca
January 18, 2008
I heard it back then from my Liberal and even some of my Tory friends: “Ed Broadbent is by far the best candidate. Too bad he’s NDP. Otherwise I’d vote for him.” I am now hearing the same thing about Jack Layton.
Well, let me tell you something. Jack Layton, with his keen intelligence, his transparent honesty, his charismatic and winsome personality, his formidable drive and seemingly endless energy, his love for his country, and – above all – his commitment to social and economic justice; if Jack Layton were Ecuadorian, he’d be the country’s leader today.
Let me explain.
Ecuador, a small country with a population of about 13 million, is a country rich in natural resources: minerals and oil, bananas, fresh flowers, coffee, cocoa, rice, fish and shell fish – the list goes on and on. And yet, nearly three fourths of its people live in poverty and lack basic sanitation, health and educational resources.
It has been ruled by military dictatorships and, since the late 1970s, by democratically elected presidents who rarely are able to complete a term in office. Its Congress is made up of a plethora of political parties, most of which are beholden to entrenched economic interests. It has been commonly asserted and seldom contested that the country is simply ungovernable.
Enter Rafael Correa, a European and U.S. trained Professor of Economics who in 2005 became Finance Minister in a transition government. He had the audacity to stand up to the World Bank by demanding that excess revenues from petroleum be directed towards financing health and education programs rather than toward servicing the external debt. The now discredited ex World Bank President, Paul Wolfowitz, pressured the government to fire Correa, and the Minister became a hero in Ecuador overnight.
A dark-horse candidate with an organization created on the fly, Correa overwhelmed the traditional political parties and won the 2006 presidential election in a landslide. He was 43 years old, the same age as John F. Kennedy when he ascended to the presidency of the United States. Correa has no representation in the Congress, however, which continues to be dominated by three main obstructionist political parties.
Correa’s major campaign promise was to hold a popular referendum that would ask Ecuadorians if they wished to create a Constituent Assembly with plenary powers to restructure Ecuador’s political and economic system. That Referendum was held in April 2007 and the “Yes” vote was an astounding 81.7 percent. Elections for the 130-member Constituent Assembly were held in September of the same year, and Correa’s supporters (Acuerdo País) won 80 seats and another ten to fifteen seats went to progressive parties that are more or less in support of the president’s radical reform agenda. The three major traditional parties (Social Christian, PRIAN and PSP) are a small minority, winning a total of 32 seats between them, and enjoy the additional support of only a handful of delegates from other right leaning parties. How the mighty have fallen!
The Constituent Assembly began meeting in late November, and its first act was to suspend the Congress, a highly popular move.
Just before year’s end it passed its first major piece of legislation, a tax reform bill that addresses blatant omissions and closes enormous loopholes and went into effect on January 1, 2008. Its major elements include (all amounts in US dollars):
- • A progressive inheritance tax, excluding estates of $50 000 or less, and with a ceiling of 35 percent on estates of $600 000 or more;
• A progressive income tax, excluding annual incomes of $7850 or less (the average annual salary in Ecuador is approximately $2500), with a ceiling of 35 percent;
• A progressive tax on unused acreage (enormous estates owned, and in many cases confiscated, by the country’s traditional elites are sitting fallow);
• An increase in “sin taxes” on cigarettes, liquor, perfume, videogames, sport rifles and ammunition, and incandescent light bulbs.
• An increase in the minimum wage from $170 to $200 monthly, and increase of 17.6 percent.
The vote for these measures at the Constituent Assembly was 90 in favour, 23 against, 6 abstentions, and 11 absent. The 90 “Yes” votes represent 69.2 percent of the Constituent Assembly’s total membership and 79.6 percent of those members present and voting.
It is estimated that the new taxes will generate revenue in excess of $400 million, virtually all of it coming from the pockets of the upper and upper middle classes.
These revenues will go directly into public education, urban infrastructure, public utilities such as water purification and sanitation, economic development, and public transportation.
Needless to say, the country’s economic elite, who since time immemorial have been getting away with murder with respect to taxation, are in a state of apoplexy. Correa has been unrelenting in his criticism of the mainstream media, who have attempted to derail his reform agenda with distortions and outright lies. He is being referred to as a dictator and compared to Adolph Hitler. This in the face of unprecedented popular support as reflected in a series of landslide election victories.
I am witnessing, for the first time in my life, a government that has won democratic power with a promise to implement badly needed political and economic reforms actually proceeding to do so. I see in Ecuador, for the first time since I began my annual extended visits thirteen years ago, a glimmer of hope for genuine change. Where this will lead – once the powerful economic forces behind the opposition to these reforms come together with a unified strategy – no one can predict.
I see Correa as a Kennedy/Trudeau-esque figure, but one who, in the context of Latin American political and economic realities, has no choice but to propose more radical reforms than one would expect in the U.S. or Canada. He has made a pronouncement, for example, that “authorizes” workers to take over businesses and industries that refuse to comply with the new tax structure and minimum wage.
Canadians should take a good look at what is happening in Ecuador. In the past 25 years we have seen our social safety net eroded, the loss of decent paying jobs, an increase in underemployment, social programs cut, employee benefits reduced, urban infrastructure deteriorating, and a shameful and exponential rise in homelessness.
I just hope that Canada doesn’t have to fall to the level of poverty and disintegration that has characterized Ecuador before we find a way to elect a genuine leader – I think you might know who I mean – with the vision and courage to address with conviction and vigour the inequalities and injustices that are anathema to the vast majority of Canadians.
Roger Hollander is a former Toronto Metro Councillor (1987-1995) who has lived much of the past 12 years in Ecuador.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Ecuadorian Naval Chiefs Resign
Quito, Jan 15 (Prensa Latina) Ecuadorian Navy Commanding General Homero Arellano and Naval Chief of Staff Luis Yepez resigned their posts Wednesday, Defense Minister Wellington Sandoval reported.
After presenting the resignations of Arellano and Yepez to Ecuador"s President Rafael Correa, Sandoval pointed out that the resignation of these officers would contribute as an example of subordination and recognition to Ecuadorian commanders.
Arellano and Yepez also announced their resignation in a news conference and said they were satisfied with having done their duty.
Arellano said that pressures from powerful sectors opposed to the changes underway in the nation for the loss of their privileges caused his resignation.
There are mafias that want to keep the management of oil resources out of national hands, he warned, referring to the recent entrusting of Petroecuador"s management to high naval officials.
Yepez ratified his support of the "government of changes and transformations for all Ecuadorians."
President Correa will appoint the new chiefs, and possibilities include Vice Admiral Johnny Estupiñan and Counter Admirals Livio Espinosa and Aland Molestina.
Estupiñan is now secretary general of the National Security Council (COSENA), Espinosa is a General Inspector of the Navy, and Molestina is Commander of the Naval Infantry (Ecuadorian Marines).
Ecuador to halt new mining concessions temporarily
Reuters, January 15: Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa on Tuesday asked a powerful assembly rewriting the constitution to halt the granting of new mining concessions to better control the country`s nascent sector. In a speech to mark his first year in office, Correa told the assembly, controlled by his party, to "suspend mining concessions until we have a new mining law."
The leftist government is planning to introduce later this year a series of reforms to the mining law to boost state participation in deals and tighten environmental control. Ecuadorean law makes it almost impossible for the government to reject requests to grant mining concessions.
Ecuador has little precious metal output, but dozens of foreign firms including Canada`s Aurelian Resources Inc
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Ecuador's Correa Vows to Restructure Finances, Administration
By Stephan Kueffner
Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said he wants to reorganize the country's administration and finances to reduce inequalities and fight corruption.
Creating seven regional administrations beyond the Quito and Guayaquil metropolitan areas and taking away budget earmarks for specific causes will decentralize the Andean country and reduce government waste, he said today.
``We know this will meet the resistance of vested interests,'' Correa, 44, said in a speech to the constitutional assembly marking his first anniversary in power.
Correa said plans to build new hydroelectric plants and improve the country's highways would reduce lop-sided income distribution and poverty. Wearing a white shirt embroidered with indigenous symbols, Correa toned down his usual criticism of the private sector, political adversaries, and the media.
``There was less rhetoric than on other occasions,'' opposition assemblyman Pablo Lucio Paredes said in an interview. ``The speech was centered on facts -- exaggerated, true, or untrue -- leaving less room for attacks.''
Paredes, a member of the Future Now political movement, said that Correa's occasional criticism of business revealed that the president still fails to see what Ecuador needs to develop its economy.
Correa said he wants future budgets to contain earmarks only for local governments and universities. Pre-set spending allocations for items such as irrigation projects or funds for development agencies promote corruption and limit the government's ability to prioritize spending, he said.
Municipal Government
Municipal governments are currently guaranteed 15 percent of the country's income. Correa said he would maintain that funding level and ensure that local officials would get funds electronically, rather than having to ask the Finance Ministry.
Ecuador's 24 provinces would continue to function below the nine regional administrations he proposed.
Creating regions with clearly defined administrative powers would limit the influence of the bureaucracy in Quito, the capital, said Maria Paula Romo, a member of Correa's Alianza Pais party.
``Right now, getting a legalized copy of a high school degree demands a trip to Quito,'' she said in an interview after Correa's speech. Correa needs the assembly's approval to create the regions, she added.
Spending on hydropower projects and roads will help integrate Ecuador and reduce its reliance on imported refined fuels and electricity, Correa also said.
Electricity Projects
He pledged to start construction of four major hydroelectric projects in the first four months of this year, and invest $1.5 billion in roadway construction in 2008, affecting 28 percent of Ecuador's road network. With the completion of planned power plants, Ecuador could become self- sufficient in electricity by 2013, he said.
Correa said that social spending last year for the first time in decades topped servicing of international debt.
``Social spending will take priority over payments to financial speculators,'' Correa said today.
Correa, who calls himself a friend of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, has previously said Ecuador won't pay back ``illegitimate'' debt. The Andean country has made interest payments during his term.
The country's benchmark 10 percent note due in 2030 rose 0.1 cent yesterday to 97.9 cents on the dollar, yielding 10.2 percent.
Marlon Santi: "A very great commitment and a challenge to build a new CONAIE"
Translated from ECUARUNARI
Patricio Zhingri T.
Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, 13 January, 2008
A brief interview with ECUACHASKI. Marlon Santi, the new president of CONAIE, after being elected by consensus on 12 January at 15h30, granted us the first interview before choosing the rest of the Governing Council.
What is your feeling upon being elected by consensus as the new president of CONAIE?
It is a commitment and a very big challenge for the three years in this position, to work with the Nationalities and Peoples. I am making a strong commitment to visit all of the bases of the CONAIE in the first year.
What does CONAIE need now?
We have to begin on a strong footing; I come from a base where everything is regulated, controlled, behaviors are established by standards. We have to have mutual respect. The congress is the maximum authority for any conflict or internal difficulty, and that will be resolved through dialogue. We have to put in order those who want to hinder any process. We must be forthright and timely when things are not well.
Do you come from a base to build a new CONAIE?
We need to recover the image of CONAIE, as it was in 1990, when it was considered the strongest organisation in Latin America. A new CONAIE built upon the pillars with which it was created following the objectives of its many leaders. CONAIE has not advanced because of the interventions of several governments and the CIA.
So the new leadership must work very hard to achieve our goals because it is in the collective interest of all of our bases.
What do you think were the weaknesses in CONAIE over the last few years?
In entering into governments, especially with Lucio Gutiérrez, important leaders made commitments with the government and followed their policies, ignoring the mandate of the Nationalities and Peoples for other interests. This led to a significant decline in the indigenous movement. Then the State intervened directly to break CONAIE's unity, because the Indigenous movement has an historical basis and is a constant threat to the government of the day - when we propose territorial autonomy, the handling of our natural resources in their own territorial districts, when Indigenous nationalities manage their own biodiversity - all this is a threat to each government and to transnationals.
Do you have any lingering rancour over losing the last election in Otavalo?
No, there is no rancour. I personally went to congratulate Luis Macas, and continued to support CONAIE's process during these years. Nothing has happened, I maintain no rancour. Rather, we have worked together in this process. I have participated in several workshops and meetings, and I share the same proposals that were given to the Constituent Assembly. We also asked CONAIE to intervene in several territorial problems in the Amazon.
What should be the characteristics of a new leader?
Of course, if I lost in previous election, it is because I was not well known by the people, but I remain in the same line of work, the struggle, which is processing strongly.
As the new president of CONAIE, how would you evaluate the first year of this government?
Proposals from the Indigenous movement and other social sectors from the coast, highlands, and Amazon are not present on the national government's political agenda. Nor are they on the agenda of the Constituent Assembly. The government gives a lot of speeches and we hear that they are going to open petroleum explorations, that they are going to privatise water, rivers, páramos (high communal grasslands). So for the moment, nothing has changed. The only change is when the Indigenous movement rises up, because this is how we have made some advances in Collective Rights and other demands. Rafael Correa has not yet recognized the demands of the Nationalities and Peoples, and he must do so.
How will the government of the Nationalities and Peoples act with the current government of Correa?
The doors are open for the government, but we will draw up our own strategies and will not concern ourselves much with the government. If there are meetings it will be to present the demands of the Indigenous movement. I will not request public offices, with me you will see this: that the proposals of Nationalities and Peoples will be presented under a dialogue of diplomacy. If the government responds, good- otherwise, the bases will respond with action.
What is your evaluation of the work the Constituent Assembly?
There are many things that they are not taking into account. I am concerned that the Indigenous movement will not be included in the new Constitution, and that is a danger. If we want to make a new Ecuador, a new republic has to include the Nationalities and Peoples, after excluding us for 180 years of supposed republican life and more than 500 years since the conquest.
Who is Marlon Santi?
I was born in 1976 in Sarayaku. I remember that when it was 12 years old my mom was a leader, my dad was a kuraca (a chief). I learned a lot from them and was already involved in the struggle in the 1980s, against the large petroleum company ARCO. I studied for a while in Quito, but never forgot my principles and family formation, the Mother Earth, my respect for Pachamama, and being an integral part of the community. But recently I have participated in more than 5 years of a strong and rather painful struggle against petroleum invasions, militarisation, and the violation of human rights. During Lucio Gutiérrez's government, I received 17 warrants for my arrest, persecution, and assassination attempts. I always told Lucio Gutiérrez that I would prefer that he kill me in person so that the people would know that he killed a person fighting for the rights of Indigenous peoples.
Will your experiences struggling in Sarayaku help in the running of CONAIE?
I will join with the people who have the same problems especially in the Amazon, in the highlands, and on the coast, since the problems are same and we have to walk together. I am not a leader who sits at a desk. I am a leader who will be out in the field, fighting, with the masses.
What do you hope for in the formation of the rest of the Governing Council?
I hope that it is a conglomerate, a governing council in which there is experience and new faces - people who have come through organisations of the three regions, who come from the bases and through a real organisational process.
Do you have a call and message to the children and youth of the Nationalities, Peoples, and the rest of the country?
Look, someone once said that when the Indian is educated it will be revealed. So then, this is the moment for our youth and children to be educated. Only that way will we be able to confront the globalised system and know both worlds. In ours, it is necessary to value it as primordial, as a base for the demands of the Nationalities.
Patricio Zhingri T.
Comunicación ECUARUNARI
ECUACHASKI
Correa Says He Wants to Reorganize Ecuador Into Nine Regions
By Stephan Kueffner
Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said he wants to decentralize the government by reorganizing the country into nine regions.
Seven of the regions will have their own cabinet minister, while the metropolitan areas of Guayaquil and Quito won't, Correa said today in a speech on the first anniversary of the beginning of his four-year term. He said the move would help the country overcome regional inequalities.
During his election campaign, Correa championed a constitutional assembly as the cure for Ecuador's political instability and poverty. Voters elected 130 members to the assembly, which sent congress into recess in late November. Correa's Alianza Pais party won 80 of the seats.
Several opposition parties boycotted Correa's speech, saying the constitution called for the president to hold his speech before congress, not an assembly.
Marlon Santi: Commitment and Challenge to Reconstruct a New CONAIE in Ecuador
| Written by Marc Becker From Upside Down World | |
| Tuesday, 15 January 2008 | |
 At CONAIE Congress Indigenous activists founded CONAIE in 1986 as a national federation to represent Indigenous interests to the government. CONAIE first gained broad international attention when it led a protest in June 1990 that shut down the country. In 1995, CONAIE helped found the political movement Pachakutik to run candidates for political office. Santi was elected by consensus of the regional organizations CONAICE, ECUARUNARI, and CONFEINIAE that represent Indigenous peoples from Ecuador’s coast, highlands, and Amazon. He is a 32-year-old native of Sarayacu in the eastern Amazonian province of Pastaza. Sarayacu has long been a center of protest again petroleum exploration. After studying in Quito, Santi returned to Sarayacu where he was a tireless fighter against petroleum companies and corrupt governments. For his activism, Santi has received assassination threats. Santi vowed to continue CONAIE’s struggle against neocolonial domination. Official delegates and other observers arrived to the Congress on the morning of January 10 in a constant rain. The Congress opened with a traditional ceremony with the participation of several leaders of the different organizations, governmental representatives, members of the national assembly, and invited national and international representatives. Jaime Pilatuña, a Yachak (Shaman) of the Kitu Kara people, led a ceremony together with Hector Awavil, leader of the host Tsa'chila government, to create a harmonious space for the meeting. Children and women also made a presentation in the inaugural act. Juana Nenquimo, a member of Waorani nationality, spoke in 4 languages of their struggles against international oil, lumber and mining companies. The Congress began with an analysis of Ecuador’s current political situation. Jorge Guamán, National Coordinator for the Indigenous political movement Pachakutik, and Mónica Chuji, an Indigenous delegate to the Constituent Assembly, presented reports on their political activities. Guamán stated that Indigenous peoples and nationalities in Ecuador have maintained the cultural, social, and political structures necessary to create successful government processes. They have formed these under the traditional Andean code of “ama llulla, ama shuwa, ama killa,” or don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t be lazy. Luis Macas, outgoing CONAIE president, presented a report of his work during his three-year term. He referred to the Congress as a “minga” (a communal work party) to construct a new country that would belong to all Ecuadorians. “Even though some governments have done everything to divide us,” Macas said, “this Congress is a practical demonstration of our unity and brotherhood.” Humberto Cholango, leader of the highland regional federation Ecuarunari, said that “this congress is of vital importance because CONAIE is responding to the poverty, exclusion, mistreatment, and discrimination we have received from the government with proposals for life.” Constituent Assembly member Mónica Chuji read a letter from Alberto Acosta, president of the Constituent Assembly, in which he states that “the assembly will fight for the recognition of the rights and achievements of all Indigenous peoples and nationalities.” Acosta called for a unity of all Indigenous organizations.
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