María Paula Romo: US anti-drug flights have national control
Ecuadornews:

Just last Monday, September 3, Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo announced that tomorrow (September 6, 2018) will be the first flight with US anti-drug aircraft, a P-3 CBP of Aduanas and Border Protection of the United States, in the maritime zone of the country, which will take off from Guayaquil.
What will be the functions of the Ministry of the Interior with the ministerial optimization of the Government?
I have seen in some media that there is talk of a Ministry of the Interior, Justice and Human Rights. It is not like that. This is the Ministry of the Interior, in this process of optimization in the State, the old Ministry of Justice is going to pass some competences to some ministries. In principle, a Vice Ministry of Human Rights will be created in the Secretariat of Politics; the shelters would go to the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES), and the jails to an autonomous secretariat attached to this ministry. In his presentation he spoke of four points: the crimes of sexual abuse of children, violence against women, disappearances and road safety.
What happens with the macro, like the drug trafficking issue?
The great theme of the Ministry is security. We are not distracted from that. I have referred to sensitive issues that are in the public debate. And that is not going to make us lose sight of the macro. The great task of this Ministry is citizen security in two dimensions: the protection of the population and the investigation to sanction crime. Security is thought of as the repression of common crime, and that is not enough. Yesterday (September 4) I spoke with the Police and we have information with which we can know what kind of crime and where it increases to do prevention.
We have, in cooperation with the Armed Forces and other interagency operatives, the issue of the northern border.
Does that mean drug trafficking?
Some of the drug trafficking things, because there are other issues of maritime control. On Thursday (tomorrow) we will have the opening flight of a system of aerial patrolling of maritime drug traffic. This is the first result of the new agreements with the USA. We are going to do periodic operations for maritime and border issues.
Is it an American plane?
It is.
Where does it land?
In Guayaquil. They do it from that city. The inaugural flight will be on Thursday, September 6, it will be a public event and I will be there, with the Police Commander and the Director of Antinarcotics.
Is the prohibition to maintain foreign bases on national soil violated in any way?
It is not a base. It is the result of a cooperation agreement and flights and operations are under the control of national agencies, and in the case of this flight, under the control of the DAC. There will be demonstrations soon.
How does it feel to be on the other side?
I think that is the biggest challenge: the exercise of control of public order. The line of the Government, with which I agree, otherwise I would not have accepted such a task, it is a lot of respect for the difference of opinions, tolerance for criticism, protection for each person to express their ideas. In the context of peaceful demonstrations we will try to exhaust the dialogue.
With its entrance is a turn of the Government on the left? The Government is carrying out an effort to have a balanced cabinet. I do not think it’s the turn to one or the other side. There is a concertation cabinet, which is able to put together different sectors, which at another time we would not have joined together.
Did the transition make it possible to bring left-wing people together with entrepreneurs?
Yes. What explains it is the context. Not only the transition, but the democratic re-institutionalization, the democratic crisis and the ethical crisis. Social networks reveal their way through the government of Rafael Correa … When you make decisions there are people who criticize. Politics is about that. 11 years ago (with the Ruptura de los 25 movement) we made the decision to support a political project led by Rafael Correa in the second round when Álvaro Noboa won in the first round. Eight years ago, we made the decision to separate, we fought in the opposition, we demanded the unconstitutionality of their laws, we were persecuted, we were dissolved and we faced our decisions.
Today I am going to take the decision to support a government that must be supported by the country. This position has burned César Navas and Mauro Toscanini.
Is it a good time to accept it?
For me politics is not a contest of sympathies, because it implies having a certain capital, a certain credibility, a certain confidence. When one exercises power that capital and that trust wear out. If this is a charge that is going to consume the little or a lot of political capital that I have, I hope it is for the best. If we manage to end sexual crimes in schools, then I paid my way through here.
Resume
She is a lawyer, she is 39 years old and she is founder the Ruptura de los 25 movement. She was part of the Montecristi Constituent and was in the political bureau of AP, in the first years of the Rafael Correa government. She was an Assemblywoman (2009-2013). She moved away from AP in 2011. (I)
Source: https://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/mariapaularomo-vuelos-antidrogas-eeuu-narcotrafico.html