CIA said to control Ecuador's military intelligence

CNews
Posted: 2008-04-09 18:42:02

QUITO, Ecuador - Ecuador's defence minister has resigned amid allegations the country's military intelligence is controlled by the CIA.

No official reason has been given for the resignation of Defence Minister Wellington Sandoval.

However his departure was confirmed Wednesday by Deputy Defence Minister Miguel Carvajal.

The announcement came a day after the military high command requested a meeting with President Rafael Correa to discuss his demand that Ecuador's intelligence services be investigated for disloyalty.

Correa became outraged after learning in the media that Ecuador's military intelligence apparently advised Colombian officials - and not him - about an Ecuadorian man's contacts with Colombian rebels.

The man was killed in a cross-border raid March 1 that also killed a key rebel leader and 23 others in a camp maintained by the rebels inside Ecuador. The attack led both Ecuador and Venezuela to break diplomatic relations with Colombia, Washington's closest ally in South America.

Correa said he had to learn about the contacts from media reports, and his government launched a civilian investigation into alleged foreign influence in Ecuador's military intelligence services.

Correa's attacks apparently provoked discontent in military circles.

In a communique Tuesday, the armed forces joint command said it had requested a meeting with Correa to "maintain a direct and transparent dialogue" on the issue and "avoid putting at risk the nation's security and stability."

Besides the intelligence dispute, Sandoval also recently made statements that appeared to contradict Correa's policies.

After the raid, he said the army planned to send reinforcements to the border to keep the rebels out.

That clashed with Correa's view that Colombia should be responsible for keeping the rebels from crossing into Ecuador.

Carvajal said new Defence Minister Javier Ponce probably would be sworn in soon. Ponce, a journalist, has been serving as Correa's personal secretary.