Diplomatic tension with Ecuador worsens: accusations and meeting with Rafael Correa in Buenos Aires

Fugue and mystery. The name of the brilliant Astor Piazzolla’s tango is perfectly suited to what happened this weekend at the Argentine Embassy in Quito. In this episode, the workings of a type of diplomacy in the region that works to help those found guilty of corruption, whom progressive governments consider to be “politically persecuted”, was exposed – perhaps as rarely -.

The matter escalated to such an extent that Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguín confirmed that there had been communication between Alberto Fernandez and “the highest level” of his government, led by the center-right president Guillermo Lasso.

Maria de los Angeles Duarteformer minister of Raphael Correa, was convicted by three courts and two different governments for corruption. The investigations determined, among other things, the distribution of some 14 million dollars during two election campaigns by public works companies, including Odebrecht. The former official had been staying since last year – first as a guest and then as an asylum seeker – in a unit of the huge embassy that Argentina has in Quito. This Monday, he presented himself at the Argentine Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela. How do I arrive? Mystery.

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The stealthy weekend escape has led to a diplomatic scandal that has seen new chapters in recent hours, with serious accusations by Foreign Minister Holguín, revelations about events before and after the escape, demands of the opposition to the Argentine Congress and a novelty that was not on the radar: an appointment with Correa in Buenos Aires to participate in a forum on human rights and other activities.

During an appearance before the National Assembly, the Chancellor said that “at the best of times, there has been negligence. And in the worst case there was complicity in his escape”. He was referring to what happened this weekend at the Argentine diplomatic headquarters, where he even confirmed that there had been a barbecue in the presence of Duarte, his current partner, and her ex-husband, Marcelo Pastore , the Argentinian with whom she has a son. , and a large number of diplomats.

The Chancellor revealed that Ambassador Gabriel Fucks – declared persona non grata and expelled – refused to hand over security camera footage, admission records and any documentation that could help in the investigation into the day, time and the manner in which the former minister escaped from the residence.

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Holguín accused the Argentine representative of giving different versions of events, mainly when verifying that Duarte had escaped: “First he said it was Friday, then Saturday. Later he told me said he was nobody’s jailer.” The former minister stayed at the embassy for months, first as a guest and then, last December, as an asylum seeker. At that time, the government of Alberto Fernández requested a safe conduct from the government of Guillermo Lasso, which was rejected due to the existence of an eight-year prison sentence for corruption: “He sought the impunity,” the foreign minister said.

Among the signs of alleged complicity that Holguín highlighted was “a request from embassy staff to remove a cell phone from police” who were carrying out surveillance and custody duties. Finally, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said that Duarte’s situation was one of the concerns of Vice President Cristina Kirchner, revealing that she had spoken about this issue with her counterpart, Santiago Cafiero, as well as with Gabriel Fuks .

As these developments unfolded in Quito, Buenos Aires, two first-rate developments became known: first, a demand from all opposition to Foreign Minister Cafiero to explain to Congress the escape of the former Minister Duarte, and confirmation that Correa himself is due to travel to Buenos Aires next week to participate in a human rights forum.

“The former minister was investigated, tried and convicted by the highest courts in the country. We are facing a very serious situation and the Argentine Foreign Minister must give explanations,” explained MP Ricardo Buryaile (UCR Formosa). The request was accompanied by other deputies from Together for Change such as Karina Banfi, Pedro Galimberti, Roberto Sánchez, Gabriela Lena, Soledad Carrizo, Gerardo Cipolini, Carlos Zapata, Marcela Coli, Juan Martín, Lidia Ascárate and Pablo Torello.

At the same time, the week that comes to be hará in Buenos Aires el III Foro Mundial de Derechos Humanos (FMDH), that organizes el Centro Internacional para la Promoción de los Derechos Humanos (CIPDH-UNESCO), junto al Ministerio de Justice y la Secretaría de Human rights. In this context, the presence of Rafael Correa is expected to participate in a panel and also in a new meeting of the Puebla Group, which brings together presidents and progressive leaders from Latin America, from Mexico to Chile and Argentina.

The FMDH will be inaugurated on Monday at 6:00 p.m. at the Néstor Kirchner Cultural Center (CCK) in an act directed by Alberto Fernández, Estela de Carlotto, d’Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo; the Nobel Peace Prize, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel; the director of the CIPDH-UNESCO, Fernanda Gil Lozano, and the secretary for Human Rights, Horacio Pietragalla.

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“Correa arrives on Monday and will be at the forum and has scheduled meetings with Alberto Fernández and Cristina Kirchner,” revealed a source who helped organize the multiple political events that will take place next week.

The concrete, according to the program to which he had access GlobeLiveMedia, is that Rafael Correa will participate in the panel “40 years of democracy: struggles, challenges, learning”, which will take place at the Espacio Memoria y DDHH (ex ESMA), between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. According to the program, he will share the stage with Ada Colau, mayor of Barcelona; Carlos Rosero, Afro-Colombian social leader from Colombia; former Bolivian President Evo Morales and Interior Minister Eduardo “”Wado” De Pedro.

However, a meeting is also scheduled next Tuesday of the Puebla group, where the Mexican Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the Brazilian Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, the Chilean Marco Enriquez-Ominami Jose “Pepe” Mujica, the Paraguayan, have leading roles Fernando Lugo, the Colombian Ernesto Samper, Correa himself and Alberto Fernandez, among others.

It is, in principle, the meeting which was to be held in December last year, which was called to reject the alleged persecution against Cristina Kirchner. Reporting on the postponement of the meeting – the vice-president was infected with COVID – the Puebla Group referred to “an international meeting of solidarity with Cristina Fernández in the face of the political and judicial persecution of which she has been a victim since 2015, which has was revealed with the recent court conviction against him.

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Next Tuesday, the meeting of the progressive leaders of the region will be held after the reading of the foundations of this same sentence of six years in prison and perpetual ban from exercising public functions for corruption with public works in Santa Cruz. Cristina Kirchner herself considers that this is actually not a court case, but a ban.

“The Duarte case was vital for Rafael Correa because he wants to show that there is political persecution in Ecuador.” The expression, which is unmistakably reminiscent of the court cases that were opened in Brazil, where Lula found himself with a sentence and more than 500 days in a common prison, and in Argentina, with dozens of officials investigated and sentenced, and the very Cristina Kirchner, who was also given a heavy prison sentence.

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As soon as it took office, the Argentine government deployed a diplomacy based on solidarity with leaders who consider themselves not the object of legal investigations but victims of political persecution. The case of Rafael Correa is paradigmatic -because he is sentenced to prison terms and cannot return to Ecuador- but it is not the only one.

Always with Lula, Cristina Kirchner and Alberto Fernández supported the leader of the PT and hailed his victory over Jair Bolsonaro, who had reached the first magistracy of Brazil for the sentence received by the current president of the South American giant.

The attempt to revive UNASUR in the days to come is also in keeping with this line, this project that Néstor Kirchner himself had appropriated and which had been dismantled by the advance of right-wing governments in the region. “I don’t need to be convinced. I want UNASUR to come back because Néstor left his life in this project, “he usually tells the leaders of this mission, who also deploy a kind of diplomacy parallel.

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