ECUADORIAN SEA FOREIGN MINISTER'S VIEWS ON LAW OF THE SEA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP08C01297R000700080001-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: September 1, 1971
• Content Type: CABLE

,FG 7.7 1/..\ _40.115.6
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INFO OCT-01 SS-14 NSC-10 NSCE-Oe COA-01 L-02 INR-05 CIAE-00
NSAE-00 PM-03 D0DE-00 AID-10 10-03 INT-01 E-03 RSC-0i
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DRAFTED BY A'RA-LA/EP:8 ILANCASTER
EX1.22 718:9/2 8/71
APPROVED BY ARA: MR. MEYER
U:MR I CUSTER
0 14 72 0
R 292308Z SEP 71
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO. AMEMBASSY QUITO
INFO AMEMBASSY LIMA
AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
-C-0-10--F?I-9?g?N--T--L?A_L_STATE 179517
LIMDIS
SUBJ: ECUADORIAN FOREIGN MINISTER'S VIEWS ON LAW OF THE
SEA
FOLLOWING BASED ON UNCLEARED MEMCONS:
ECUADORIAN FOREIGN MINISTER GARCIA DISCUSSED HIS COUNTRY'S
CURRENT POSITION ON POSSIBLE FISHERIES NEGOTIATIONS AND
RELATED LAW OF THE SEA (LOS) QUESTIONS WITH BOTH THE
UNDER SECRETARY AND AR. MEYER.
1. IN SPEAKING TO MR. MEYER, GARCIA SAID CHILE HAD
SUGGESTED THAT A GROUP OF CEP EXPERTS MEET IN NEW YORK
THE SECOND WEEK IN OCTOBER TO PREPARE FOR A QUADRIPARTITE
CONFERENCE WITH THE US IN BUENOS -AIRES. THE CEP POWERS
WOULD ONLY BE PREPARED TO ATTENI THE CONFERENCE IF THE
US LIFTED THE FMS SUSPENSION.
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WHEN ASKED ABOUT ASSURANCES THAT NO SEIZURES OF OUR
VESSELS WOULD TAKE PLACE PENDING OR DURING A CONFERENCE,
THE .FOREIGN. MINISTER ACKNOWLEDGED THAT PRESIDENT VELASCO
HAD GIVEN ASSURANCES VALID UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30. HE
REFERRED TO THESE AS "WORDS THAT WERE SPOKEN AND NOT
WRITTEN THAT YOU MEAN TO LIVE UP TO." HE DIDN'T BELIEVE
THAT ASSURANCES COULD , BE EXTENDED BEYOND THAT DATE.
JUST BEFORE LEAVING TO COME TO THE U.S. HE HAD MET WITH
SENIOR MILITARY COMMANDERS, WHO DID NOT REGARD FURTHER
ASSURANCES AS ACCEPTABLE.
REGARDING PRACTICAL RESTRAINTS ON SEIZURES IN THE
ABSENCE OF ASSURANCES, THE FOREIGN MINISTER'S ONLY
SUGGESTION WAS THAT THE U.S. FISHING VESSELS BUY LICENSES
UNDER. PROTEST.. FOR . THE. DURATION OF THE CONFERENCE.
IN ,SPEAKING OF LOS .AND FISHERIES ISSUES, THE FOREIGN
MINISTER SAID HE. WAS FEARFUL THAT WHAT HE TERMED "U.S.
INTRANSIGENCE" WOULD LEAD TO AN INCREASINGLY FIRM AND
COHERENT ..LAT IN AMERICAN .BLOCK IN OPPOSITION TO OUR LOS
OBJECTIVES. ECUADOR HAD AVOIDED SUPPORTING THE HARD
BRAZILIAN LINE IN GENEVA OUT OF. A DESIRE NOT TO OFFEND
THE U.S.., BUT COULD NOT CONTINUE TO DO SO IN THE FACE OF
FURTHER U.S. INTRANSIGENCE.
2.. ...GARCIV INFORMED THE UNDER SECRETARY ON BEHALF OF THE
CEP. POWERS THAT THEY WERE PREPARED TO ATTEND A FISHER IES
CONFERENCE ?, WITH. THE. U.S.. IF THE FMS SUSPENSION WAS LIFTED.
THE,.PERUVIAN .FOREIGN MINISTER HAD ADVISED -GARCIA, HOWEVER,
THAT. HIS FISHERIES SPECIALIST 9 AS WELL AS MUCH OTHER
FOREIGN .,OFF ICE. STAFF, WOULD BE TIED UP- FOR A GOOD PART OF
OCTOBER WITH THE CECLA AND GROUP OF 77 MEETINGS IN LINA.
GARCIA.. THEN SAID .THAT THE CEP POWERS KNEW ABOUT THE US
CONCERN. WITH 'SECURITY. PROBLEMS WHICH ECUADOR HAD "TAKEN
CARE OF". IN THE VELASCO-ALLENDE DECLARATION. THE CEP
POSITION SPECIFIED AN INNER MARITIME AREA UNDER FULL AND
ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY OF .THE COASTAL . STATE, WITH AN OUTER
ZONE'. WHERE FREE PASSAGE AND FREE OVERFLIGHT WERE
GUARANTEED?.ALTHOUGH THE COASTAL STATES RESERVED ALL
MARITIME. AND SEABED RESOURCES. HE. COMMENTED THAT SOME
CONFIDENTIAL
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LAT IN AMERICAN POWERS OPPOSED MAKING THIS CONCESSION ON
FREE PASSAGE AND OVERFLIGHT TO THE US AT THIS TIME,
SUGGESTING THAT IT BE WITHHELD FOR BARGAINING AT THE
1973 LOS CONFERENCE.
REGARDING THE RESOURCES ZONE, GARCIA ASSERTED THAT
COASTAL NATIONS HAD THE RIGHT TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN
LIMITS ACCORDING TO GEOGRAPHIC AND ECOLOGICAL NECESSITIES.
THE CEP POWERS HAD NOT SIGNED THE 1958 GENEVA CONVENTION
AND WOULD NOT SIGN ANY NEW CONVENTION WHICH DID NOT
CONTAIN A FORMULA RESPECTING THEIR POSITION ON LOS.
THE UNDER 'SECRETARY SAID THAT THE USG. RECOGNIZED THE ?
SPECIAL . NEEDS OF COASTAL ? STATES FOR ? MARITIME RESOURCES,
BUT .COULD NOT.. ACCEPT :THE POSITION THAT EVERY COUNTRY .
COULD ESTABLISH ITS. OWN RULES ? AND LIMITS.. . THE US DRAFT
FORMULA PREPARED FOR DISCUSSION. AT GENEVA RECOGNIZED
LEGITIMATE . COASTAL STATE CLAIMS AND TOOK THE INTERESTS
OF :DISTANT FISHING STATES INTO ACCOUNT AS WELL. ..THE US
BELIEVED THAT. ALL INTERESTS COULD BEST BE .. SERVED BY
ARRANGEMENTS UNDER SOME FORM: OF INTERNATIONAL GUIDANCE.
THE. UNDER SECRETARY . STATED THAT ? UNDER US LAW THE LIFTING ?
OF FMS 'SUSPENSION WOULD TAKE' PLACE IF IT WERE JUSTIFIED
BY... SOME: CHANGE ? IN THE SITUATION WHICH, HAD CAUSED THIS
SUSPENSION TO. BE IMPOSED. TALKS WITH THE GOE IN JUNE
HAD LED US TO HOPE .THAT SUCH A NEW SITUATION HAD
DEVELOPED ? AS A RESULT OF ECUADOR'S. ASSURANCES THAT
THERE_WOULD.BE NO SEIZURES PENDING OR DURING NEGOTIATIONS.
ECUADORIAN STATEMENTS IN AUGUST, HOWEVER, APPEARED. TO
CHANGE THESE .ASSURANCES.. IN ANY EVENT THE DATE OF
SEPTEMBER 30,WHEN. THE. OR IG INAL ASSURANCES WERE SCHEDULED
TO ? EXP.IRE.,' WAS NOW AT HAND .AND UNLESS THEY COULD BE
EXTENDED THE DEPARTMENT WOULD LACK A. CLEAR BASIS FOR
JUSTIFYING THE LIFTING OF FMS SUSPENSION TO CONGRESS.
ECUADOR. MUST UNDERSTAND THAT IF THE ? US LIFTED THE
SUSPENSION IN. ORDER TO BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS AND SEIZURES
.occuR , CONGRESS nag RESPOND WITH EVEN MORE
RESTRICTIVE LEG ISLAT'1.04' HE HOPED THAT CONVERSATIONS
COULD BE HELD SEEKING 414?10LUTION TO OUR OWN DILEMMA WITH
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CONGRESS, AS WELL AS AN INTERNAL ECUADORIAN POLITICAL
DILEMMA WHICH WE RECOGNIZED EXISTED. BOTH ECUADOR AND
THE US WOULD HAVE TO SEEK SOLUTIONS TO FISHERIES AND LOS
PROBLEMS WHICH WOULD NOT RISK INTERNAL POLITICAL
REACTIONS WHICH WOULD EXACERBATE THE BILATERAL RELATIONS
WHICH EVERYONE WANTED TO IMPROVE.
FOREIGN MINISTER CONCLUDED HIS MEETING WITH THE UNDER
SECRETARY BY SAYING THAT HIS GOVERNMENT WANTED TO IMPROVE
ITS RELATIONS WITH THE US AND HOPED TO HOLD CONVERSATIONS
ON FISHERIES AND LOS WHEN SUCH CONVERSATIONS WOULD
CONTRIBUTE TO THAT OBJECTIVE. RO$ERS
CONFIDENTIAL
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/12/12 : CIA-RDP08C01297R000700080001-8