Andean Group - March 2008 (ISSN 1741-4466)

The governments of Peru and Ecuador made a big show of amicability during a bilateral meeting in Lima on 18 and 19 February between the defence and foreign ministers of both countries. The meeting was held amid tension caused by the maritime dispute between Chile and Peru, in which Ecuador is finding itself an unwilling participant.

Peru has presented a case before the International Court of Justice at The Hague challenging the tripartite treaties signed in 1952 and 1954 which it claims regulated fishing rights rather than defining its maritime border with Chile. Ecuador also signed the treaties. If Peru wins its case, it could in theory seek to redefine its maritime borders with Ecuador.

The Hague case was not discussed at the meeting of defence and foreign ministers. The two countries signed 21 accords, however, (more than planned) in an attempt to underline their efforts to improve ties. The ministers agreed to enlarge future meetings to incorporate the ministers of social development in a new 3 + 3 format.

They said this would enable discussions to embrace pressing concerns such as shared initiatives to tackle poverty in the border area under the bi-national plan. The plan was approved in 1999 to help resolve border differences which provided the catalyst for the 1995 war.

The Ecuadorean foreign ministry, while doing its level best to avoid being drawn into the maritime dispute, is clearly aligned with Chile. Ecuador's foreign minister, Marí­a Isabel Salvador, said that she would be following developments at The Hague closely over the next few months, adding that Ecuador was prepared to defend "energetically" the borders agreed under the two treaties.

• Joint accords

The most salient of the 21 accords agreed between the foreign and defence ministers of Ecuador and Peru was the creation of a "bi-national commission for mutual confidence and security measures". This will meet in the second half of June in Quito to harmonise initiatives to combat delinquency, which Peru's defence minister, Antero Flores Aráoz, described as "a new threat that affects our borders". His Ecuadorean peer, Wellington Sandoval, explained that the two countries would coordinate policing in the area: the respective chiefs of police are scheduled to meet in late March.