(1 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Quito, Ecuador – 01 May 2024
1. Various of Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld and Cesar Vasquez, Ecuador’s Secretary of Higher Education, at news conference
2. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Gabriela Sommerfeld, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador:
"At 03:00 this morning, Ecuadorian time, Ecuador went and presented its position at the International Court of Justice regarding the measures, the request for provisional measures requested by Mexico to Ecuador at the International Court of Justice. Ecuador’s position was very firm, very clear, forceful, mentioning mainly that what was being requested with preventive measures had already been delivered through a verbal note to the Mexican Foreign Ministry on April 9, before this was requested on April 11 at the International Court of Justice."
4. Various of Sommerfeld saying goodbye to Vasquez,
STORYLINE:
Ecuador’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that representatives from her country delivered a "very firm, very clear, forceful" position at the United Nations’ top court, which is looking into the storming of Mexico’s Embassy in Quito last month.
Gabriela Sommerfeld made those comments after Ecuadorian lawyers told the International Court of Justice earlier in the day that the storming happened in a bid to take in “a common criminal” — Ecuador’s former vice president — who was holed up inside the diplomatic post.
The statement by lawyers for Ecuador was part of hearings in a case filed by Mexico at the court that accuses Quito of blatantly violating international treaties by storming the embassy to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas.
The April 5 raid, hours after Mexico granted asylum to Glas, further fuelled tensions that had been brewing between the two countries since the former vice president, a convicted criminal and fugitive, took refuge at the embassy in December.
In its case filed April 11, Mexico asked the court to award reparation and suspend Ecuador from the United Nations.
It also asked judges to take “appropriate and immediate steps to provide full protection and security of diplomatic premises” and prevent any further intrusions.
But Ecuador argued Wednesday that the ICJ doesn’t need to act now because Quito has already complied with the measures sought by Mexico.
Judges will likely take weeks to reach a decision on Mexico’s request for preliminary orders.
AP video by Cesar Olmos
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