Venezuela's Chavez involvement in Ecuador's unrest
By Aleksander Boyd
London 19.08.05 | Lucio Gutierrez was kicked out of office for trying to pull a chavista 'revolution' out of the hat. Since then Ecuador has been in a constant state of semi-chaos. Alfredo Palacio is meant to be the president of that country, however his orders are not followed through. His ministers are forging deals behind his back without consulting with him. Furthermore he is surrounded by elements that are only too keen to embrace Hugo Chavez, read Rafael Correa and Antonio Parra Gil.
Sources report that Ecuador's Foreign Secretary Antonio Parra Gil will be travelling to Cuba this weekend to attend some sort of graduation of Ecuadoran medical students. Is it just coincidence that Hugo Chavez will, also, be seeking his putative's father consultation this very weekend? I think not. Having mocked, locally, a 'dissociation' from Chavez, Parra Gil's trip to Havana, otherwise a non happening place for the democratic community, bears all the characteristics of an akelarre.
In the meanwhile Lucio Gutierrez is in Peru trying to buy his way back to Ecuador's presidency. The outlaw's minions have presented a plea to have a court void the Congress' resolution that ousted him. Taking into consideration that Ecuador lacks both Supreme Court and Constitutional Tribunal a judge of first instance will rule on the matter.
Then there's the strike in the Amazonian states Sucumbíos and Orellana that has Gutierrez' imprints all over the place. Mind you sheer happenstance makes that some prefects start demanding the oil companies to have 200KM of road paved; to hire local workers; to develop social programmes; to pay them, the prefects, 25% of taxes... Where have I heard this script before? According to military intelligence Gutierristas are behind the unrest. Oil production has been halted, but lossing millions is not something that has, ever, preoccupied revolutionary minds.
To close the circle we saw Hugo Chavez declaring yesterday in Caracas "surely up north they will blame me for the turmoil in Ecuador..." A latin adage pertinently describes Chavez unsolicited mea culpa: "Excusation non Petita, Accusatio Manifiesta". Besides it is quite difficult to imagine a Lula fighting for his political survival or a prone to be re-elected Uribe having the time to stir revolts regionaly, after all who's Castro's heir? Who's the reincarnation of Che?
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