US base in Manta has failed to stop drug trafficking, says head of commission that wrote 2008 constitution

The head of the commission that wrote Ecuador’s 2008 constitution, Alberto Acosta, says re-establishing a U.S. anti-narcotics base in the country is a “terrible” idea. He disagrees with President Daniel Noboa’s claims that the base’s closure in 2009 allowed drug traffickers to enter the country.

Alberto Acosta

“The drug gangs and cartels were already in the country when the base was established in 1999 and they continued to operate during the 10 years that it was in operation,” he said in an interview with Notimundo. “They were already shipping their product from our ports. In fact, the flow of drugs into the country from Colombia and Mexico actually increased during those 10 years.”

Acosta admits that the plan to amend the constitution to allow the re-establishment of the base has support from the people and the National Assembly, but he believes there should be opposition.

“This is a smokescreen to distract from the serious problems the country is facing,” he said. “It plays on the fears of the Ecuadorian people in the context of the presidential election campaign.”

According to Acosta, the language in the 2008 constitution banning foreign military bases on Ecuadorian soil was intended to protect the country’s sovereignty and keep it out of political alliances that could be detrimental to national interests. “Look back at the minutes of the meetings of the Constitutional Assembly and you will understand the decision to protect the country from foreign interference. You will see that the issue was discussed thoroughly and thoughtfully. You will see why the language was inserted that Ecuador is a country of peace. That reasoning still holds true.”

Acosta, a minister before being named president of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the new constitution, says the rethinking of the military base must be seen in the context of the U.S. war on drugs. “That plan was a total failure,” he says. “What happened with the U.S. military operations in Colombia and Peru?” he asks. “What was the outcome of Plan Colombia? Drug trafficking actually increased — the facts are irrefutable.”

He adds that in many cases, the U.S. troops violated the rights of law-abiding Ecuadorians while the base was in operation. “Fishermen and other boaters were constantly harassed by surveillance investigations. Offshore inspections were random and conducted without evidence of drug trafficking.”

Acosta believes Noboa is “bowing to the hidden agenda of the US” by promoting the anti-drug base. “What they really want is to establish a large military base in the Galapagos, not to combat drug trafficking, but to promote their geopolitical interests in the dispute with China,” he claimed. “Today we allow them to operate surveillance aircraft from the islands, but they want much more.”