Editorial Comment: The British should observe rule of law
Monday, 20 August 2012 00:00
Threats made by the British government against Ecuador after it granted asylum to whistleblower and WikiLeaks founder Julius Assange, who has been holed up at its London embassy for two months, are not only
an act of war, but
reduce to a sham the Vienna Convention, which all civilised nations adhere to.
What is the bigger picture which prompted London to issue such a threat that it would invoke the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act of 1987, claiming that it allows it to revoke the diplomatic immunity of an embassy on British soil thereby allowing it to arrest Assange?
Before Assange sought asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy, was he not on house arrest in London?
Why did the British government react the way it did after a developing country decided to grant him asylum? Would they have done the same if he had sought asylum in a European embassy?
We also wonder why Australia, which is usually quick to act on matters regarding its citizens’ welfare abroad, has not objected to London’s threats. Is Assange no longer an Australian citizen?
But Britain’s threats are not only a show of hypocrisy and double standards, but they are typical actions of a wounded animal.
The UK knows that it no longer enjoys imperial power so the best it can show its muscle is to use the diminished glory to make small nations squirm.
But it is the international reaction, which should tell the UK and its allies like the United States of America that it is not every nation that they can pulverise. Small as it is, Ecuador took time to study the Assange case. Even the pleas from Assange’s mother did not push them to arrive at a decision as soon as most people wanted.
Before granting him asylum, they weighed the pros and cons, and they knew that there would be some backlash, since they were dealing with a very controversial figure.
Thus Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said last Saturday that Britain’s threats to remove Assange from their embassy were not only “vulgar”, but that as long as he was president, his country would not accept such threats. He also described them as “inconsiderate and intolerable”.
It does not need Assange for the British and Americans to realise that in as much as they want to uphold their sovereignty and self-determination, so do other nations too, irrespective of the power they yield on the international arena.
They might believe that they have the right to get whatever they want, and that whoever is in their way should be eliminated, but Ecuador and other civilised members of the international community have shown them that the Vienna Convention was enacted to create order, not chaos.
South American nations in particular have stood united behind Ecuador and are willing to talk about the Assange case as a regional bloc.
It is clear that there are more strands than the fears that if Assange is extradited to Sweden, there are greater chances that he will be send to the United States for Assange’s popularity does not arise from the alleged sexual assault, but from the fact that he became the world’s well-known whistle-blower who embarrassed the US administration by publishing diplomatic cables and military logs which he received from US citizens.
If the world had kept quiet, this was going to be another attack on sovereignty and a selective application of the Vienna Convention.
Thus the precedent that Britain wants to set is dangerous for international relations — dangerous for itself and the international community as a whole. Every country would apply their laws the way the British wanted to.
Many citizens from various parts of the world have sought asylum in the United Kingdom, some of them using fabricated justifications.
Would the United Kingdom want those countries to attack it or they would want the letter and spirit of the law to be applied?
At the end of the day, we ask who the victor is in this saga that is not likely to end soon?
Why has Assange become the victim when all that he did was to publish material that was given to him? How about the other media organisations like The New York Times? Why are they not being hounded as well?
By over-reacting, Britain was unaware that it will be sitting on the Assange case for some time, and that the threats they issued would not only dent their already damaged image, but that it would be seen as the United States’ proxy in attacking journalists’ freedom of expression, choice and association.
We are glad that small countries like Ecuador now realise that the Western powers, who claim to be champions of democracy, are actually hypocrites of the highest order.
Zimbabwe has been subjected to worse things for over a decade for alleged human rights violations and lack of rule of law, but we all know that this was all a farce because the real reason Harare has been under illegal Western sanctions is that it demanded to control its natural resources.
Labels: EQUADOR, JULIAN ASSANGE
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Ecuador army frees President Correa from hospital siege
By BBC News
Fri 01 Oct. 2010, 11:10 CAT
Ecuador's President Rafael Correa has been rescued from a hospital in the capital, Quito, where he had been trapped for several hours in an uprising by disaffected police.
Widespread gunfire was heard as the army moved in to free the president, who was there for treatment after being attacked by police with tear gas. Mr Correa went on to address supporters outside the presidential palace. Two people died and dozens were injured in the unrest, officials said.
The president and his supporters said the police revolt over a new law cutting benefits for public servants amounted to an an attempted coup.
Mr Correa, a 47-year-old US-trained economist, took power in 2007 and was elected for a second term in 2009, despite a decision to default on $3.2bn of global bonds causing widespread fiscal problems for the government.
'Kill the president'
Mr Correa had been holed up in the police hospital, where he was treated after being hit by tear gas in a confrontation.
Hundreds of police, angry over a law that would cut their benefits, appeared to have prevented him from leaving the clinic.
The sight of two key state institutions, the national police force and the military, exchanging gunfire will be one which worries many ordinary Ecuadoreans, and reminds them of the past.
Ecuador's history is peppered with violent street uprisings which often ended with the removal of the head of state. In this instance, there was to be no such outcome, but it was a sign of how polarised life in Ecuador has become in recent years, with Mr Correa dividing opinion across the country.
The initial reason for the protests -austerity measures - was almost lost among the high drama of the presidential siege. But that, and other issues such as an impending decision on whether to dissolve parliament and call an early general election, are facing Mr Correa when he recovers from what was, without doubt, his toughest day since taking office.
Under cover of darkness Mr Correa was reportedly smuggled out of the hospital in a wheelchair as a gun battle between troops and police raged.
Speaking to his supporters outside the presidential palace, Mr Correa said he hoped the events of the day would serve "as an example to those who want to bring a change and stop the citizens' revolution without going through the polls".
"I give so much thanks to those heroes who accompanied me through this hard journey," the Reuters news agency reported him saying.
"Despite the danger, being surrounded, ministers and politicians came, to die if necessary. With that bravery, with that loyalty, nothing can defeat us."
The commander of Ecuador's police force has resigned, a police spokesman said on Friday.
The drama began on Thursday morning when members of the armed forces and police angry at the austerity measures occupied several barracks and set up road blocks across the country.
TV stations showed images of police setting tyres on fire in the streets of Quito, Guayaquil and other cities. The National Assembly building was also occupied.
Police also took control of Quito's international airport for several hours.
Looting was reported in the capital and Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil. Banks were robbed and schools and businesses closed.
Map
Peru and Colombia closed their borders with Ecuador in solidarity.
In an emotional speech to soldiers from Quito's main barracks, President Correa tore at his shirt and said: "If you want to kill the president, here he is. Kill him, if you want to. Kill him if you are brave enough."
Moments later he was forced to flee the barracks wearing a gas mask when tear gas was fired by the protesters, and he was taken to hospital.
Regional support
During the day Mr Correa received strong support from governments throughout the Americas, with a string of Latin American nations and the US all speaking up for the embattled president.
Within hours of the violence erupting in Ecuador, the South American regional body, Unasur, called an emergency meeting.
Continue reading the main story
Ecuador's political instability
* 2005: President Lucio Gutierrez deposed after two years, following massive protests in response to his attempt to overhaul the Supreme Court
* 2000: Jamil Mahuad, elected 1998, forced to step down as president after two years following indigenous protests led by Col Lucio Gutierrez
* 1997: President Abdala Bucaram, nicknamed "El Loco" ("the crazy one"), declared mentally unfit to rule after a year in power
* 1987: President Leon Febres Cordero kidnapped and beaten up by the army in protest at policies of privatisation and public expenditure cuts
* Ecuador timeline
Mr Correa has blamed the Patriotic Society Party (PSP), led by Lucio Gutierrez, for fomenting the unrest, and said "bad elements" in the police force would "be removed".
On Wednesday, one minister had said the president was considering disbanding Congress because members of his Country Alliance had threatened to block proposals to shrink the bureaucracy.
Ecuador's two-year-old constitution allows the president to declare an impasse and rule by decree until new elections. However, such a move would have to be approved by the Constitutional Court.
The BBC's Will Grant, in Venezuela, says Mr Correa could still choose to rule by decree in an effort to stay in control in the immediate future.
Labels: EQUADOR, RAFAEL CORREA
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Ecuador says mining, oil must be in state hands
23 May 2009 12:23am EDT
QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's President Rafael Correa said on Saturday that key sectors of the economy, including oil and mines, must be in government hands.
During his first two years in office Correa has taken a tough stand with mining and oil companies, pushing for new contracts more favorable to the state, but has so far shied away from nationalizing any firms.
"We will fulfill the goal of having strategic sectors in government hands," Correa said.
The U.S.-educated economist has recently said he will not nationalize foreign oil companies, but will push for more state control in the key industry via new contracts.
During a joint news conference with his Ecuadorean counterpart, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said his drive to nationalize strategic sectors of his own country's economy would continue.
Many sectors of Venezuela's economy, including energy and telecommunications, have passed into state hands since Chavez took office 10 years ago. In recent weeks he has nationalized oil service companies and iron producers.
Chavez also said that Venezuela and Brazil were in talks to create a joint fund worth billions of dollars. It is likely it would be for infrastructure investment.
"One of the subjects we will discuss is the creation of a joint strategic fund ... worth billions of dollars," said Chavez, adding the fund will have funds from the Brazilian Development Bank, BNDES. He said he will meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva next week.
He said earlier his country and Ecuador had signed a deal for a joint fund for investment in energy projects.
(Reporting by Alonso Soto; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Eric Walsh)
Labels: EQUADOR, MINING, NATIONALISATION, NEOLIBERALISM, OIL, RAFAEL CORREA
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Monday, April 21, 2008
Ecuador revokes 80% of mining concessions
Story link: Ecuador revokes 80% of mining concessions by Gill Montia
Ecuador has suspended mining exploration activities and revoked a large number of concessions while it prepares new mining legislation.
The country’s government, headed by President Rafael Correa, says it has taken the dramatic action to secure greater control of Ecuador’s natural resources and increase the amount of profit the mining sector contributes to the state.
The ban could last for around 180 days and is accompanied by the cancellation of 80% of the country’s 5,000 plus mining concession.
Around 40 international mining companies operate in the country, contributing millions of dollars in investment to the mining economy.
It is understood that the Ecuadorian government believes the concessions were sold too cheaply and it will therefore be renegotiating their terms.
There are also plans to create a state-owned mining company to exploit the country’s mineral reserves, which are estimated at $220 billion.
No large-scale mining activity is currently taking place in Ecuador and critics of the country’s concession system say that it has favoured speculators rather than serious investors.
Toronto-based Aurelian Resources held a concession for the Fruta del Norte gold-silver discovery, which is believed to be a world-class prospect.
The company had plans to commence an initial development of the discovery this year.
Labels: DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS, EQUADOR, MINING CONTRACTS, RAFAEL CORREA
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