White House admonishes Ecuador over Mexican embassy raid
Sullivan urges Ecuador and Mexico to seek resolution as dispute could head to The Hague
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
President Biden’s national security adviser rebuked Ecuador’s government from the White House podium and said that it was clear the country had violated international law with a raid on Mexico’s embassy in Quito.
Ecuadorian police stormed the facility last Friday with the intention of arresting ex-Vice President Jorge Glas, who was seeking political asylum in Mexico. The former Ecuadorian official has been convicted twice on bribery charges he says are politically motivated. Mr Glas was detained and taken away by police during the raid.
Jake Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday that the Ecuadorian government had “disregarded its obligations under international law as a host state to respect the inviolability of diplomatic missions” and had “jeopardised the foundation of basic diplomatic norms and relationships”.
Having reviewed security footage of the incident released by Mexican authorities earlier on Tuesday, Mr Sullivan added that the actions of Ecuadorian police were “wrong”.
“We’ve asked Ecuador to work with Mexico to find a resolution to this diplomatic dispute, and to that end, we welcome the Organization of American States’s permanent council meeting this week to help reach a peaceful, diplomatic solution.
Mexican officials have said that an unspecified number of diplomatic staffers were injured during the raid by Ecuadorian police. Embassy grounds are rarely breached by the law enforcement agencies of host countries, which is typically considered to be a violation of the Vienna Convention. Roberto Canseco, Mexico’s head of consular affairs, was present for the raid and attempted to resist the entry of police as they stormed the building — he was detained and allegedly held to the ground during the operation.
Ecuador’s government claims that the Mexican offer of asylum to Mr Glas was illegal and did not follow proper international procedures.
The president of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, called the raid a “flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico” and has ended formal diplomatic ties with Ecuador over the incident.
“I have instructed our chancellor to issue a statement regarding this authoritarian act, proceed legally and immediately declare the suspension of diplomatic relations with the government of Mexico,” the Mexican president said.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments