Ecuador demands Colombia to explicitly renounce the use of “preventive
attacks” as a condition for the two countries to resume diplomatic
relations.
Following the March 2008 bombing of a FARC camp just over the Ecuadorean border, Colombia has always argued it reserves the right to “preventive attacks” in its war against “narco-terrorism”.
Ecuador cut diplomatic ties after the attack and feels threatened by a pending U.S.-Colombian deal that allows an increase of U.S. military activity in Colombia. It wants Colombia to renounce the self-reserved right to “preventative attacks” if it wants to improve relations with its southern neighbor.
“Whatever constructive and substantial dialogue will take place after an explicit renunciation of the possibility of a preventive war for security reasons in any other country,” Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Fander Falconi told news website Ecuadorinmediato.
According to Falconi, the issue of a preventive attack is “not negotiable with Colombia or any other country,” as it is considered illegal by international law.
The Foreign Minister added that the prohibition of preventive strikes are “defended and advocated by the United Nations and completely adopted by the Union of South American Nations to support the inviolability of the territory of its member states.”
Colombia has defended the use of preventive strikes because the FARC, the country’s largest guerrilla group, regularly crosses borders with neighboring countries Ecuador and Venezuela.