President Rafael Correa has appointed his most trusted confidant to head the defence ministry in an attempt to resolve a simmering dispute with the military. Correa tapped Ricardo Patiño to take over as defence minister after Fernando Cordero resigned from the post in the midst of an impasse with the military over the government’s insistence that the armed forces social security institute (Issfa) return some US$34m from an overvalued land deal. Patiño, who had been serving as foreign minister, has now filled every significant position in the cabinet since Correa took office in 2007.End of preview - This article contains approximately 384 words.
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