Posted on 10/22/2007 8:38:02 PM PDT by LibWhacker
NAPLES (Reuters) - Ecuador's leftist President Rafael Correa said Washington must let him open a military base in Miami if the United States wants to keep using an air base on Ecuador's Pacific coast.
Correa has refused to renew Washington's lease on the Manta air base, set to expire in 2009. U.S. officials say it is vital for counter-narcotics surveillance operations on Pacific drug-running routes.
"We'll renew the base on one condition: that they let us put a base in Miami -- an Ecuadorean base," Correa said in an interview during a trip to Italy.
"If there's no problem having foreign soldiers on a country's soil, surely they'll let us have an Ecuadorean base in the United States."
The U.S. embassy to Ecuador says on its Web site that anti-narcotics flights from Manta gathered information behind more than 60 percent of illegal drug seizures on the high seas of the Eastern Pacific last year.
It offers a fact-sheet on the base at: http://ecuador.usembassy.gov/topics_of_interest/manta-fol.html
Correa, a popular leftist economist, had promised to cut off his arm before extending the lease that ends in 2009 and has called U.S. President George W. Bush a "dimwit".
But Correa, an ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, told Reuters he believed relations with the United States were "excellent" despite the base closing.
He rejected the idea that the episode reflected on U.S. ties at all.
"This is the only North American military base in South America," he said.
"So, then the other South American countries don't have good relations with the United States because they don't have military bases? That doesn't make any sense."
In Ecuador they speak Spanish and their official currency is the U.S. Dollar.
Actually, their economy is based on the US Five Dollar Bill. If you try to use a twenty dollar bill to buy something they look at you like you are trying to pass a million dollar note at a Federal Reserve Bank.
My attitude toward Correa and others like him is this: No, you corrupt kook, all cultures are not created equal. The day Ecuador is a democracy instead of a kleptocracy, is a superpower instead of a military laughingstock, is the main defender of freedom and human rights in the world, then and only then might we consider giving you a base in America (and it won’t be in Miami).
Didn’t know about the money thing. Love learning things like this. Will investigate further. One of the countries I have always wanted to visit.
They can have New Orleans. They won’t stay long.
I say pull out, and pull out fast so there’s no doubt why and who is reponsible for the results. I’d also pull out of South Korea. Its been a thankless job for far too long.
I would think we could find somewhere in South America that wants our dollars. North Brazil might be nice... Right next to Venezuela...
? He seems to be giving everything to his Mexican friends And I can understand some of it … his sister-in-law is Cuban, he speaks (passable) Spanish, he lived most of his life along the Mexican boarder.
There’s always Alaska... Say far north Alaska...
I doubt they could even afford to man it...
It is an amazingly beautiful country but very poor even for South America.
When I was there I spent time in the Galapagos, along the Pacific coast and in the Capital. Of course the Galapagos are one of the greatest places I have been but Quito is a wonderful city.
It is located right on the equator at an elevation of 9500 feet but you can go up to 14,000 feet just outside the city. The location and elevation of Quito give it amazing weather all year long.
For the last seven or eight years they have used the US Dollar as their currency.
I know all that and am frustrated too. However, Mexico isn’t Ecuador. So what if his sister-in-law is Cuban? Not all Cubans are pro-Fidel.
Ecuador cannot afford to man bases in Ecuador.
This is simply an extortion attempt and Dubya will give them the money they want.
Don’t renew the lease. Don’t pay another penny.
Tell him “You want it—you take it”
Lessee how he likes living with one arm.
Actually, the Pacific Coast of Ecuador in very much like S. Louisiana with wetlands, fishing and oil industries. Moreover, they would like Louisiana as it is third world just like Ecuador.
Didn’t say that either … just pointing out some reasons that Bush might be sympatric (?) to Spanish speaking people.
Isn't that an oxymoron?
I’ve never been there, but I understand a large part of the population of Ecuador speaks Indian languages like Quechua rather than Spanish. The country is almost exactly the same size as Nevada, so maybe it’s natural for them to gamble.
As if the MSM nose wasn't already planted far enough up into the nether regions of the South American despots.
Even though the guy’s a leftist POS, can you blame him? What about Calderon with his “there is a Mexico wherever there is a Mexican” crap?
As long as they pay the same amount as we do to them.
I’ve been to Ecuador several times, including Manta. It’s been 10 years since I was there (the last time was a year after El Nino) but I didn’t know there was a US base at Manta. Anyway, Ecuador earns the tag, “banana republic,” for a variety of reasons. Driving through Ecuador, you will see banana plantation after plantation owned by Dole. Politics are a joke, the typical presidential race may have something like thirty candidates in the general election. During the campaign, homeowners will let political parties paint murals on their houses, advertising this or that candidate, just so they get their house painted. Whoever wins the election immediately replaces all the public officials, including customs agents, etc., with their friends family etc. The typical government employee is looking for a bribe on a routine basis, but mainly only from Ecuadorians, not tourists. Lawyers are merely money changers, the person arrested hires the lawyer to broker the bribe with the judge to avoid jail. Ecuador is beautiful, and it’s economy makes vacationing there a bargain, there has never been much tourism to Ecuador, except Galapagos.
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