Interstate Tension
n“There was such weakness
in the policy of the previous administration [of Lucio
Gutierrez] with respect to relations with Colombia that the
country felt under pressure. We have arrived at the point where the sole responsibility
for guarding the frontier region has fallen completely
on Ecuador. The Colombian guard posts
are nowhere near proportional with those of Ecuador. Part of
the pressure on Ecuador comes because of the role played
by the United States as the principal ally of our northern
neighbor.”
-Mauricio Gandara, Ecuadorian Minister of Government (El Comercio)