[A-List] Ecuador: Gutiérrez returns

["Sabri Oncu" <soncu@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

And this one was posted to the MAYDAY2K list by a dear late friend, Bob
Everton. It is about the aftermath and among other things, talks about the
three-men government consisting of Col. Lucio Gutierrez, Indian leader
Antonio Vargas and former Supreme Court president Carlos Solorzano, as well.

Sabri

+++++++++++++++

Date: Sun Jan 23, 2000  9:22 pm 
Subject: Ecuador - mainstream news; but good summary 


Some of you have responded that you wanted more info on Ecuador.  But things
seem to be dying down, so future news might not warrant being posted. This
article is from the mainstream media, but it seems to actually be fairly
accurate (in comparison to the reports from the indigenous themselves and
alternative local media in Spanish), although it does not provide all the
necessary background info that we might like.  I forward it as a good
summary of recent developments. -    Bob 

Civilian Rule is Restored in Ecuador 

The Washington Post 

By Stephen Buckley Washington Post Foreign Service 
Sunday, January 23, 2000; Page A1 

QUITO, Ecuador, Jan. 22 - Ecuador's vice president was elevated to the
presidency today after a three-man junta toppled the president but then
stepped down itself under pressure from the United States and other foreign
powers. 

In a fast-moving crisis triggered by this small South American country's
severe economic troubles, Vice President Gustavo Noboa took power with
support from the head of the armed forces and Congress. 

The previous president, Jamil Mahuad, was ousted on Friday after Indian
protesters supported by some junior officers in the armed forces stormed the
Congress building. They announced a new government led by a three-man junta
initially formed of an army colonel, the head of the movement of indigenous
people that organized the protests, and a former president of the Supreme
Court. 

The colonel was then replaced by Gen. Carlos Mendoza, the armed forces
chief. He subsequently dissolved the junta and handed over power to Noboa, a
62-year-old former university professor. Mendoza said he did so after
discussions with U.S. officials, who threatened to cut foreign aid and
discourage foreign investment in Ecuador if power were not restored to the
elected government, the Associated Press reported. 

"What we were trying to do was prevent the international isolation of
Ecuador," Mendoza said, in part because of U.S. pressure. 

In Washington, officials confirmed that American policymakers had spoken to
Mendoza and others in Quito warning that aid and other support would be at
risk if the junta remained in power. The United Nations and the Organization
of American States criticized the overthrow of a civilian government, and
South America's Mercosur trade bloc--made up of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay
and Uruguay as well as associate members Chile and Bolivia--issued a
statement urging Ecuadorans to respect their democratic institutions. 

A successful military coup here would have been the first in South America
in years and could have encouraged a wave of similar efforts on a continent
where several countries are in deep economic crises. 

Hundreds of Indians, whose marches and other protests in recent days had led
to the weekend's climactic events, fled Quito today. Leaders said they were
not happy with Noboa and vowed that they will continue the protests, which
were aimed at what they described as Mahuad's corrupt government and
detrimental economic policies. 

"We don't accept the presidential successor," said Salvador Quishpe, an
Indian leader. 

Other indigenous leaders said that Indians would refuse to pay their taxes
and utility bills as a way of continuing their protests. One leader, who
asked not to be identified, said that Indians also might block roads into
Quito to prevent food from arriving here. 

As in many South American countries, Ecuador has a significant numbers of
citizens who are at least part Indian--about 90 percent here. In Ecuador,
people of pure or almost entirely of Indian blood have become a particularly
strong political force in recent years because of their numbers--4
million--and aggressive political strategies. 

They have been especially vocal in attacking Mahuad's policies. Among them
was his plan to replace the slumping Ecuadoran currency, the sucre, with the
U.S. dollar as a way of restoring confidence in the economy and slowing
inflation. Mahuad's critics said that such a move would have made the
savings of Ecuadorans worthless and would have hurt the country's poorest
people. In this nation of 12 million, 7 million live in poverty, including a
large number of Indians. 

Noboa is thought to be ideologically similar to Mahuad--and has vowed to
pursue "dollarization"--but the two were one-time political rivals; Noboa
lost to Mahuad in the 1998 presidential elections. However, Noboa has close
ties to industry and may be able to better sell the economic plan than his
predecessor. 

Despite the political uncertainty left by the tumultuous events today and
Friday, the country remained peaceful. In Quito, known as the city of
eternal spring because of its mild year-round temperatures and its beautiful
mountain vistas, shops opened, traffic appeared normal, children played
basketball on local courts, and airports and other essential facilities
continued to function. 

Noboa's elevation to the presidency came after Mahuad went on television
Friday night, vowing that he would not leave his position. Even today, he
seemed reluctant to accept his ouster, saying, "A thrown-out president does
not resign. He is thrown out." 

Yet Mahuad also asked Ecuadorans to support the new government, saying that
the country had to put Friday's events behind it as quickly as possible.
Noboa was approved as president today by a large majority in Congress. 

Mahuad reportedly was offered asylum from Chile, but it remained unclear
tonight whether he was going to accept it. Mahuad, who took refuge at an air
force base and at a private home Friday night, has suggested that he is
inclined to remain in the country. 

It also remains unclear what will happen to the Indian leaders and military
officers who led Friday's attempt to overthrow the government. Their
whereabouts were unknown. 

When Mahuad took over as Ecuador's president in August 1998, he vowed to
reverse one of the nation's most wrenching economic slumps. Ecuador, about
the size of Nevada, is burdened with high unemployment and a 60 percent rate
of inflation. 

But Mahuad was unable to turn things around, and his decision to "dollarize"
the Ecuadoran currency proved to be controversial and divisive. 

The indigenous protesters had taken over the Congress building as well as
the Supreme Court on Friday after a week of relatively peaceful
demonstrations in the capital. 

Shortly after the takeovers, a three-man government was formed, initially
composed of Col. Lucio Gutierrez, Indian leader Antonio Vargas and former
Supreme Court president Carlos Solorzano. But it was never clear Friday
whether this group had the backing of the military, or of the Ecuadoran
population. 

Subsequently, armed forces chief Mendoza replaced Gutierrez in the junta and
later broke up the junta so Noboa could become president. 

The restoration of civilian rule came about after considerable pressure from
U.S. officials in Washington and the American embassy in Quito, according to
U.S. officials in Washington. Peter Romero, the assistant secretary of state
for Latin America and Western Hemispheric Affairs, warned Mendoza by
telephone that "Ecuador will find itself isolated" if the junta did not
relinquish power, a State Department official said. 

"We did vigorously communicate with military leaders there that we were very
concerned with constitutional order and democracy, and we believe that
played a role," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. 

Calls also were made by some of the administration's most senior
policymakers, including White House national security adviser Samuel R.
"Sandy" Berger and Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering. 

Staff writers John Harris and John Lancaster in Washington contributed to
this report.