Ecuador leader: Negotiating with China like pulling teeth

Posted by Matt in December 5th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Americas, China, Dollar Loan, Ecuador, Ecuadorean, Government Activities, Hydroelectric Plant, Imf, President Rafael Correa, Pulling Teeth, Rafael Correa, Sovereignty

Negotiating with China is “worse than the IMF,” Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said Saturday after rejecting China’s conditions for a 1.7-billion-dollar loan to build a hydroelectric plant.
In his weekly report on government activities, Correa said some of the conditions China’s Eximbank required for the loan were “really a threat against our sovereignty.”
AFP: Ecuador leader: Negotiating [...]

US abandons only Ecuadoran military base

Posted by Matt in September 21st, 2009 | no comment

Published in general, Air Force Base, Air Pacific, Colombia, Control, Decade, Drug Operations, Ecuador, Ecuadoran Authorities, Eloy Alfaro, Manta, Military Base

The US military on Friday returned to Ecuador a base it has been using for a decade for regional anti-drug operations, as critics seethe over its controversial replacement in neighboring Colombia.
Ecuadoran authorities took control of the US Forward Operation Location (FOL) at the Eloy Alfaro Air Force base in the Pacific port of Manta to [...]

Ayatollahs cast growing shadow in Latin America | ajc.com

Posted by Matt in September 9th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Americas, Iran, Ajc, American Alliance, American Heart, Bolivia, Common Ground, Ecuador, Governments, Hostility, International Influence, Iran, Latin-America, Nbsp, Nicaragua, Penetration, tehran, Venezuela, Western Hemisphere

Tehran sees its penetration in the region as essential to its efforts to weaken Washington international influence. The radical leftist governments of Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua view Iran as a partner with whom they share common ground: hostility towards the U.S. The result is an anti-American alliance in the heart of the Western Hemisphere.
Ayatollahs [...]

Colombia bases row fuels arms race – UPI.com

Posted by Matt in September 2nd, 2009 | no comment

Published in Americas, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Hugo Chavez, Military Procurement Program, Pact, President Hugo Chavez, Rhetoric, Upi, Venezuela, War Footing, Winds Of War

Venezuela has called the military pact a threat to its security and embarked on an extensive military procurement program to put the country on a war footing. President Hugo Chavez has also found support in Bolivia and Ecuador for his rhetoric, including warnings of “winds of war” blowing from the north following the Colombian-U.S. deal.
Colombia [...]

Chavez warns of ‘war’ over Colombia-US deal

Posted by Matt in August 10th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Americas, Ally, American Forces, Colombia, Continent, Counterpart, Ecuador, Ecuadoran, Hugo Chavez, Inauguration, Latin-America, Led, Leftist Leaders, President Hugo Chavez, Rafael Correa, Us Military Presence, Venezuela, Venezuelan President Hugo, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Winds Of War

Leftist leaders from Venezuela and Ecuador thundered against a US military presence in Latin America on Monday, warning the “winds of war” were blowing across the increasingly polarized continent.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez led the charge, attacking Colombia’s decision to host American forces at seven of its bases, a move also condemned by Chavez’s Ecuadoran counterpart [...]

What’s Behind Ahmadinejad’s Abrupt Cancellation of Latin American Trip?

Posted by Matt in May 10th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Americas, Brazil, Iran, ahmadinejad, Brazil, Businessmen, Cancel, Cancellation, Constituents, Ecuador, Entourage, Freedom, Intelligence Operatives, Latin American, Lula, Protests, Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paolo, Theocrat, Tolerance, Venezuela

And many of his [Lula's] constituents are unhappy with the visit by a conservative, homophobic, anti-Semitic theocrat. Somehow that seems to clash with the values of tolerance, freedom and progress that Brazil prides itself on. Following protests in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo last week, Lula apparently pulled the plug.
So, the entourage of more [...]

Iran Has Started a Mideast Arms Race

Posted by Matt in March 23rd, 2009 | no comment

Published in Middle East, Nuclear, Proliferation, Arabs, Bahrain, Bolivia, Bomb, Committees, Ecuador, Fallout, Gold Rush, Greater Middle East, Iranian Media, Islamic Republic News, Islamic Republic News Agency, Joneses, Kuwait, Latin-America, Nicaragua, North-Korea, Nuclear Ambitions, Nuclear Arms Race, Nuclear Conflict, Nuclear Fallout, Nuclear Power Plants, Nuclear Program, Nuclear Proliferation, Nuclear Technology, Nuclear Weapons, Oman, Proliferation, Qatar, Regimes, Republic News Agency, Saudi-Arabia, tehran, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Verge, Wsj

Over the next 10 to 20 years many countries all over the world will possess nuclear weapons thanks to countries like Pakistan, Iran and North Korea.
From the article:
Make no mistake: The Middle East may be on the verge of a nuclear arms race triggered by the inability of the West to stop Iran’s quest for [...]

Iran and Ecuador vow closer ties

Posted by Matt in December 6th, 2008 | 1 comment

Published in Americas, Iran, Correa, Economy Minister, Ecuador, Ecuadorian Government, Iran, Ties, Vow

“The Ecuadorian government is determined to expand and deepen ties with Iran,” Correa, a leftist former economy minister, said.
“We have had good expansion of ties so far and we are hopeful we will be able to deepen that,” ISNA quoted him as telling reporters.
Read More…

Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, Ecuador – What’s Going On?

Posted by Matt in July 27th, 2008 | 2 comments

Published in general, Air Force, Amazon, beijing, Beijing China, Bluster, Borders, Caribbean, Cold-War, Correa, Cuba, Defense Minister, Dominance, Ecuador, Favourably, Gestures, Izvestia, Latin-America, Manta Base, Military Bases, minerals, Missile Shield, New York Times, News Articles, Russia Moscow, Russians, Transit Port, Venezuela

A New Cold War in the Caribbean?
The significance of the Izvestia bluster isn’t that the Russians could be coming again — Moscow’s Defense Minister later said any air force arrangement in Cuba would most likely involve stops for fuel rather than actual bases — but that they’ve returned to the idea of using the Caribbean [...]

East confronts west in Latin America

Posted by Matt in July 24th, 2008 | 1 comment

Published in Americas, China, Russia, Amazon, beijing, Beijing China, China, Chinese Interests, Correa, Dominance, Ecuador, Favourably, Intelligence Operations, Latin-America, Leap, Manta, Manta Base, minerals, Russia, Transit Port, Western Hemisphere

China and Russia are challenging the US for dominance in Latin America by pursuing trade and military deals
During a visit to Beijing in November, Correa said China could turn the Manta base into a transit port from which to exploit the riches of the Amazon. China, which is engaged in a headlong rush for timber, [...]