Photo: xinhua/Mateo Armas
QUITO, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador on Saturday drew widespread criticism from the United Nations and several Latin American countries after its police raided the Mexican Embassy in Quito and arrested former Vice President Jorge Glas, who had been hiding in the embassy since last December.
DIPLOMATIC RESPONSE
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "concerned" about a raid by Ecuadorian security forces on the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest Glas, who is accused of bribery, Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Saturday.
The UN chief called on both Ecuador and Mexico to show "restraint" and "resolve their disputes through peaceful means", the spokesman said in a statement.
The incident prompted Mexico to quickly sever diplomatic ties with Ecuador. "This is a flagrant violation of international law and Mexico's sovereignty," wrote President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on the social network X, formerly Twitter.
Other Latin American countries, including Cuba and Bolivia, united in support of Mexico after the intervention.
"We all stand in solidarity with Mexico in the face of the unacceptable disruption of its embassy in Quito. The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which is a fundamental part of international law, must be respected by all," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on the social network X.
Ecuador's move "must be subjected to strong rejection, whatever the justification for its implementation", the Brazilian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Also on Saturday, Nicaragua cut "all diplomatic relations" with Ecuador. In a statement, the Nicaraguan government expressed its "absolute rejection" and condemnation of Ecuador's move.
WHO IS JORGE VOICE?
Glas was vice president of Rafael Correa's government from 2013 to 2017.
He was originally sentenced to six years in 2017 after a court found him guilty of taking bribes from a Brazilian construction company. In 2020, he was convicted again for using funds from contractors to finance campaigns for Correa's political movement, resulting in an eight-year sentence.
He was last released in November 2022, but Ecuadorian authorities recently accused Glas of embezzling state funds meant for reconstruction after the devastating 2016 earthquake.
Ecuador, which in March asked Mexico for permission to enter its embassy to detain Glas, says the asylum offer was illegal and is demanding his extradition.
Xinhua/gnews.cz-JaV_07
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