ECUADOR'S DRUG FIGHTING

The May 20 news story "Ecuadoran Town a Hub for Drug-Running Rebels,
Colombia Says" provided a misleading account, driven by senior
Colombian officials, that was designed to confuse readers. Colombian
irregular groups cross the border because of the Colombian
government's omissions on its side of the border, thereby gravely
affecting Ecuador.

Ecuador has had to devote onerous resources to meet the challenges of
security and development in a border dominated by Colombian
irregulars. This effort by Ecuador has been praised by the U.S. State
Department in the "International Narcotics Control Strategy Report"
and the "2008 Monitoring Report on Terrorism," which highlights as an
Ecuadorian achievement the dismantling of 11 laboratories for cocaine
production and more than 130 FARC camps, as well as the deployment of
more than 100 battalions at the border, despite not having the
billions of dollars of support that Colombia receives from the U.S.
government.

It was worth mentioning that Ecuador is free of coca cultivation
because it is the most successful country in the region in combating
drug trafficking. It is unfortunate that Colombian armed forces are
being diverted to discredit the government and people of Ecuador.

Luis Gallegos

Washington