USA Condemns the Ecuador Break-in

Ecuador Police above stand guard at the entrance to the Penitentiary where former Vice President Jorge Glas is being held in Guayaquil Ecuador.  The global condemnation of Ecuador’s government for its decision to break through the external doors into the Mexican Embassy snowballed Sunday with more presidents and leaders, including Panama and Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega, expressing disapproval, shock and dismay.  The United States Department of State condemned the violation of the Vienna Convention that led to Ecuador’s assault on the Mexican Embassy.  The US is urging Ecuador and Mexico to resolve their differences in accordance with international standards.  Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and most other Latino countries were the first to sound the notices to Ecuador.  In Panama there is also diplomatic tension due to the asylum granted by Nicaragua to former president Ricardo Martinelli, who was sentenced to 10 years and eight months in prison.  You can be certain that Ricardo is watching this situation closely.  US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller indicated that “the United States condemns any violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and takes seriously the obligations of countries under international law to respect the inviolability of diplomatic missions.” On Friday night, members of the Ecuadorian Police forcibly broke through the external doors and entered the Mexican embassy in Quito to apprehend former vice president Jorge Glas, who had received political asylum from the Mexican Government and had been in the Mexican Embassy since last December.