LatinNews Daily - 11 April 2024

*Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has welcomed a recent Organization of American States (OAS) resolution condemning the incursion by Ecuadorean security forces into the Mexican embassy in Quito on 5 April. In a daily morning press conference, López Obrador stated that the resolution was “atypical but consistent”, noting that governments from around Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe, as well as various international organisations, had expressed their solidarity with Mexico over the incident. Troops broke into the embassy to seize Ecuador’s former vice president Jorge Glas (2013-2017), who faces local corruption charges but who had been granted political asylum by Mexico. In the resolution, which was approved by 29 votes in favour and one against, with two abstentions and two absent members, the OAS declared that the incursion violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Institution of Diplomatic Asylum. The OAS stated that it was “deeply disturbed” by the incursion, saying that the immunities of diplomatic and consular missions were “a cornerstone of international law and a fundamental requirement for peaceful relations between States”. It urged Mexico and Ecuador to initiate dialogue and “take immediate steps, in accordance with international law, to resolve this serious matter in a constructive manner”, adding that offices of the OAS were at the disposal of both governments to facilitate such efforts. The resolution will be forwarded to the secretary-general of the United Nations (UN). Speaking to the local press, Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld said the resolution was “fair”. Ecuador’s government led by President Daniel Noboa is attempting to adopt a conciliatory tone in relation to the incident amid rising international condemnation and signs that it could carry a high political cost domestically.