Thursday, July 31, 2008

Ecuador to shut down U.S. anti-drug operation

(A deal that expires next year lets U.S. conduct anti-drug operations from Ecuador)


From Mike Mount
CNN Pentagon Producer



WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States is losing access to one of its three counternarcotics bases in Latin America, U.S. military officials said Wednesday.

The Ecuadorian government has told the Bush administration it will not renew a 10-year agreement letting U.S. troops conduct anti-drug operations from Manta Air Base, an Ecuadorian Air Force installation, military officials said.

The United States has used Manta Air Base since 1999 to run aerial surveillance of the eastern Pacific Ocean, looking for drug runners on the high seas as well as illicit flights.

Ecuador notified the U.S. Embassy on Tuesday that it will not renew the agreement after it expires in November 2009, the U.S. military officials said.

"The Ecuadorian people do not want foreign troops on our soil, and the government has to follow the mandate of its people," Luis Gallegos, Ecuador's ambassador to the United States, said Wednesday.

"We have spent more than $150 million on troops to monitor the border with Colombia and will continue to support anti-narcotics operations in our country," Gallegos said.

The U.S. State Department's reaction to the announcement was mixed.

"The operations there are critical to our overall counternarcotics strategy, but Ecuador has promised continued close cooperation to confront the threat of drug smuggling," said Heidi Bronke, a spokeswoman for the department.

State Department chief spokesman Sean McCormack said the decision was Ecuador's to make.

"We note, however, that the closure will leave a serious gap in efforts by the United States and our partners to confront illegal drug trafficking throughout the region," he added.

Up to eight planes fly missions from Manta. About 250 U.S. military personnel and civilians work there.

Since the start of U.S. operations there, about 60 percent of the drug interdictions in the eastern Pacific have involved the planes based out of Manta, including the capture of more than 200 metric tons of drugs in 2007, according to U.S. military officials.

State Department officials said they could not talk about plans to move the mission to another country.

Manta is the only U.S. base in South America. The U.S. military operates two other counternarcotics bases in the region: a naval operation in El Salvador and an air operation in Curacao in the Caribbean.


http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/07/30/us.equador.base/index.html


__._,_.___

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, every time i used to check blog posts here early in the daylight, as
i love to learn more and more.
Also visit my site : LLC. :: Help zone :: Contact us

Anonymous said...

Hello there, just became aware of your blog through Google,
and found that it is truly informative. I am going to watch out for brussels.

I'll be grateful if you continue this in future. Many people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
My web-site ... http://sanstreet.com.sg/product-category/zero-hour/

Anonymous said...

I could not refrain from commenting. Very well written!
Here is my page : http://www.alyssamelodyacupuncture.com

Anonymous said...

Hi! I've been following your blog for some time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Houston Texas! Just wanted to tell you keep up the excellent job!
Feel free to surf my webpage ... vertnet.ca

Anonymous said...

Excellent goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff
previous to and you are just extremely excellent. I really like what
you have acquired here, certainly like what you're saying and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it wise. I can not wait to read much more from you. This is actually a great site.
My web-site ... 404 Not Found

Anonymous said...

Thanks , I've recently been searching for info approximately this topic for ages and yours is the greatest I have discovered till now. But, what about the bottom line? Are you sure about the supply?
Here is my website :: baby fishing shirt

Anonymous said...

As the admin of this web page is working, no hesitation very rapidly it will be well-known,
due to its quality contents.
Here is my web site ; bagged cotton candy

Anonymous said...

I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme.
Did you make this website yourself or did you hire someone
to do it for you? Plz answer back as I'm looking to design my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. kudos
Also visit my homepage ... http://www.eventsandweddingwishes.com/?_escaped_fragment_=events/c1dzs

Anonymous said...

Hello, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i
was just curious if you get a lot of spam responses?
If so how do you prevent it, any plugin or anything you can suggest?
I get so much lately it's driving me mad so any support is very much appreciated.
Feel free to visit my web-site stain

Anonymous said...

These are really great ideas in on the topic of
blogging. You have touched some fastidious factors here.
Any way keep up wrinting.
Here is my page - ASSI PLAZA

Anonymous said...

Excellent pieces. Keep writing such kind of information on your page.
Im really impressed by it.
Hi there, You have performed a fantastic job. I'll certainly digg it and in my opinion recommend to my friends. I am sure they will be benefited from this site.
Feel free to surf my web blog :: Glowballoonsusa.Com

Anonymous said...

Excellent beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend
your site, how can i subscribe for a blog web site?
The account aided me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered bright clear concept
My web blog ... 3d glasses

Anonymous said...

Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your web site and in accession capital to assert that
I get actually enjoyed account your blog posts.

Anyway I will be subscribing to your augment and even I
achievement you access consistently quickly.
Check out my web site : voicewinds.com

Anonymous said...

Great work! That is the kind of information that are meant to be shared
around the net. Disgrace on the search engines for not positioning this submit upper!
Come on over and discuss with my website . Thanks =)

Feel free to surf to my blog; sushi roll recipes with cream cheese

Anonymous said...

Hi, every time i used to check webpage posts here in the early hours in
the break of day, for the reason that i enjoy to find out more
and more.

my blog post forrest2006.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Greetings from Florida! I'm bored to tears at work so I decided to check out your site on my iphone during lunch break. I really like the knowledge you provide here and can't wait to take
a look when I get home. I'm shocked at how quick your blog loaded on my mobile .. I'm
not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, wonderful site!


My web site; Sushi Hunters Creek

Anonymous said...

I've learn some just right stuff here. Definitely price bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how much attempt you set to make any such excellent informative site.

Also visit my web site ... reno golf tips

Anonymous said...

Hi, all is going well here and ofcourse every one is sharing information, that's really fine, keep up writing.

my blog: luxury golf schools

Anonymous said...

Can you tell us more about this? I'd love to find out some additional information.

Look into my webpage: www.martinenvironmental.com

Anonymous said...

hello there and thank you for your info – I have definitely picked up something new from right here.
I did however expertise several technical points using this site, since I experienced to reload the web site lots of times previous to I
could get it to load properly. I had been wondering if your hosting is OK?
Not that I'm complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will very frequently affect your placement in google and can damage your high quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords. Well I am adding this RSS to my email and can look out for much more of your respective exciting content. Ensure that you update this again soon.

Feel free to surf to my web page :: aquarium store

Anonymous said...

I'm really enjoying the theme/design of your web site. Do you ever run into any web browser compatibility issues? A few of my blog audience have complained about my website not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Chrome. Do you have any tips to help fix this issue?

Feel free to visit my website; gas furnace

Anonymous said...

I am new to developing internet sites and I was wanting to know if
having your website title related to your content really that important?
I see your title, "Blogger: 420attorney on Marijuana and recent events in the law, Brought to you by The Kroger Law Group " does appear to be spot on with
what your blog is about but yet, I prefer to keep my title
less content descriptive and based more around site branding.

Would you think this is a good idea or bad idea?

Any assistance would be greatly valued.

Also visit my site: electric furnace brands

Anonymous said...

Sweet blog! I found it while browsing on Yahoo News. Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
I've been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Many thanks

Feel free to visit my webpage :: Mesquite furnace repair services

Anonymous said...

Hello! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I genuinely enjoy reading through your blog posts.

Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums
that cover the same subjects? Thanks for your time!


Visit my blog post :: leather duffel bag sale
my webpage - bratz fashion diamonds games

Anonymous said...

Greetings from Carolina! I'm bored to death at work so I decided to browse your website on my iphone during lunch break. I really like the info you provide here and can't wait to take a look when I get home.
I'm shocked at how quick your blog loaded on my cell phone .. I'm not even
using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, excellent site!


Also visit my website - activewear sets hammacher schlemmer

Anonymous said...

Hey there! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance
from an established blog. Is it difficult to set up your own blog?
I'm not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I'm thinking about setting up my own but I'm not sure where to begin. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Cheers

My blog post ... Youtube.Com

Anonymous said...

I am really loving the theme/design of your website. Do you ever run into any
internet browser compatibility issues? A small number of my
blog audience have complained about my blog not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Firefox.
Do you have any tips to help fix this problem?

Also visit my weblog :: circuit boards for beginners

Anonymous said...

Hi just stumbled upon your website from Yahoo after I entered in,
"Blogger: 420attorney on Marijuana and recent events in the law, Brought to you by The Kroger Law Group" or perhaps something similar (can't quite remember exactly). Anyways, I'm grateful I found
it because your subject material is exactly what I'm looking for (writing a university paper) and I hope you don't mind if I collect some material
from here and I will of course credit you as the reference.
Many thanks.

My weblog; trane furnace

Anonymous said...

Howdy! This is my first visit to your blog!

We are a collection of volunteers and starting a new project in a
community in the same niche. Your blog provided us beneficial information to work on.
You have done a outstanding job!

Here is my weblog :: usb host controller driver windows 8

Anonymous said...

Hello there! My spouse and I frequently write guest articles or blog posts for other
web site owners to help gain publicity to our
work, as well as provide terrific content to blog owners.
It truly is a win win situation! If you happen to be interested feel free to e-mail me
at: lavadaperdue@gmx.net so we can communicate further.
Thanks!

Here is my web-site ... silicon chips services

Anonymous said...

Greetings. I'm wondering if you may be interested in doing a link swap? I notice your blog: http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1864180157450324970&postID=503560391058331293 and my website are based mostly around the same subject matter. I'd
really like to switch links or possibly guest author a article for you.
Here is my personal email: eusebia_chiu@gmail.com.

Please be sure to contact me if you're even remotely interested. Thank you so much.

my webpage; quizilla.teennick.com

Anonymous said...

Heya i'm for the first time here. I came across this board and I find It really useful & it helped me out a lot. I hope to give something back and help others like you aided me.

my page: golf in kissimmee fl

Anonymous said...

It's hard to come by knowledgeable people for this topic, but you sound like you know what you're talking about!
Thanks

Here is my site - personal injury attorney

Anonymous said...

Very quickly this web site will be famous amid all blogging viewers, due
to it's pleasant articles or reviews

My weblog technologically advanced kitchen appliances

Anonymous said...

I visited various sites but the audio quality for audio songs existing at this web site
is in fact wonderful.

Here is my blog post ... orangecountymiquel63.tblog.com

Anonymous said...

Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon
every day. It will always be useful to read through articles from other writers and use something from other sites.



My site best kitchen appliances reviews

Anonymous said...

Greetings from Idaho! I'm bored to death at work so I decided to browse your site on my iphone during lunch break. I love the info you provide here and can't wait to take a
look when I get home. I'm shocked at how quick your blog loaded on my cell phone .. I'm not even using WIFI, just
3G .. Anyhow, great site!

My web site ... kitchen remodeling in seattle

Anonymous said...

This information is priceless. Where can I find out more?


Feel free to surf to my site; appliance repair phoenix reviews