Former president Rafael Correa has used his contacts and influence to fuel outrage over the assault on the Mexican Embassy in Quito and request sanctions for Ecuador.
Rafael Correa and the president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, in Tagucigalpa, on March 29, 2022.
The claims and indignation of former President Rafael Correa compete with those of Mexican President Andrés López Obrador, after the police assault on the Mexican Embassy in Quito. The first calls for sanctions for his own country, Ecuador; while the second looks for support for his.
Although the condemnation of Ecuador among the international community was overwhelming, for the former Ecuadorian president it was not enough. For this reason, he encourages his followers outside of Ecuador to support him and promote the taking of more drastic measures.
One of the main amplifiers of this ‘lobby’ has been the Puebla Group and its members, which include leaders of the self-proclaimed progressive left in Latin America and Spain.
All of them have added digital and personal efforts in the international campaign against Ecuador and in favor of former vice president Jorge Glas.
Former President Correa, just four days after the incursion, was already giving a press conference in the European Parliament , thanks to the support of the United Left MEP, Manu Pineda.
There he asked the European Union and the world to pressure Ecuador to allow Jorge Glas to leave. In particular, he appealed to the European Parliament to support the initiatives of the United Left, which with its allies has only 37 seats, out of a total of 705.
Correa’s ideas
At the same time, the former president started a busy media agenda, in national and international media, to repeat the speech that Ecuador is experiencing barbarism and thus justify the measures initiated against the country.
That is, while the governments of the world and multilateral organizations, after the condemnation and rejection of Ecuador’s decision, called for calm, dialogue and to seek solutions to the diplomatic conflict; Correa dedicated himself to inflaming the discussion.
The former president even went so far as to list ideas for international actors: the withdrawal of ambassadors, isolating Ecuador, having the Organization of American States (OAS) issue a declaration, taking legal action in the Criminal Court of The Hague, among others.
The only one to take the advice immediately and break an almost non-existent relationship with Ecuador was the Nicaraguan Daniel Ortega, whose government is isolated due to the serious violations of human and political rights during his regime, which has now lasted 17 years.
Meanwhile, the Government of Mexico, as affected, did take actions that have been publicized and magnified by Correa on all its platforms: the lawsuit before the International Criminal Court and the request that Ecuador be suspended from the United Nations.
The first must continue its course in The Hague, which can take years, and the second was subtly and immediately discarded due to the complexity of the case. The decision would depend on the 193 member states and in the entire history of the UN, despite wars, attacks and invasions between nations, it has only happened once.
Meanwhile, within Ecuador, the Correísta ‘lobby’ relies on the Citizen Revolution, which has already called for the resignation of the President, without the claim having had much echo in public opinion.
But the biggest bet is on the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), the regional bloc born in 2011, under the impulse of left-wing governments, when they enjoyed greater popularity and power. And whose failed objective was always to replace the OAS , where the United States and Canada have participation.
However, in a prior appointment of Celac foreign ministers , several countries expressed their opposition to the call and its content.
Argentina, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay issued a communication clarifying that Xiomara Castro – president of Honduras and pro tempore president of Celac – cannot make decisions without consensus of the members.
In addition, they questioned the handling of the pro tempore presidency and warned that any decision made under these conditions will lack legitimacy.
Celac as the spearhead
The summit of the Correísta ‘lobby’ will be reflected in the Summit of Celac Presidents, convened by Honduras for April 16, 2024 at 09:00, virtually.
Precisely because the pro tempore presidency of the regional bloc is in the hands of the Honduran president, Xiomara Castro , whose government has counted among its ranks her friend Rafael Correa, as an economic advisor.
This ideological link allowed the languid regional organization to make the unusual call, after the breakdown of relations between Ecuador and Mexico. Despite the fact that the summit deals with regional issues once a year and has only met seven times since 2011.
At the meeting, Castro will propose “the firm condemnation of Celac” to Ecuador for violating the Mexican Embassy and for “the kidnapping” of former vice president Jorge Glas. But also, abiding by Correa’s proposals, he will propose the creation of a group of seven states that will be in charge of three tasks:
- Request that the Government of Ecuador rectify the events that occurred.
- Reconduct the appropriate procedure of asylum regulations requested by former vice president Jorge Glas.
- Promote dialogue to normalize relations with Mexico.
If these objectives are not achieved, the Honduran president proposes “taking political positions”, whether jointly, bilaterally or in multilateral organizations, to force Ecuador to comply.
However, it won’t be easy. Not all governments in the region have maintained an active participation in Celac. The last summit of presidents was only on March 1, 2024 and did not include the leaders of Ecuador, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Furthermore, despite the serious violation of the Vienna Convention by the government of President Daniel Noboa, the countries of the region have already expressed their positions individually and ratified them in the Organization of American States (OAS).
In the extraordinary session in Washington, with 29 votes in favor, the OAS issued a resolution , condemning what happened , but also asked that embassies not be misused and that the laws of the receiving countries be respected. And, at the end of the day, only three countries mentioned Jorge Glas.
