For a period of four hours the U.S. Secretary of State, [1] Hillary Clinton, was an illustrious guest in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. At noon, Clinton arrived at the Carondelet Palace, [2] the headquarters of the Ecuadorian government, for a meeting with Ecuadorian president and pro tempore head of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), Rafael Correa [3]. In her message, Clinton eloquently said, “The U.S. wants to be a partner with Ecuador and other countries to solve the problems of the XXI century. [4]” [es]
[5]At the Yellow Room in the Carondelet Palace. Clinton and Correa during the press conference. Photo by Presidencia de la República del Ecuador
Clinton met with Correa to discuss issues on immigration, cooperation, trade and regional security, as the ambassador of Ecuador in the United States, Luis Gallegos, stated [es]. [6] Discussing the issue of immigration and the adoption of the so-called Arizona Law was a priority in the agenda, stressed Gallegos. According to estimates, about 2 million Ecuadorians live in the United States; therefore, addressing the issue of immigration was paramount for Ecuadorians. Ecuador and Latin America have to learn to not panic about engaging in dialogue with world powers, Gallegos concluded.
The CRE Blog[es] [7] summarizes what happened in Quito on June 8. For the most part, they say both parts agreed to work together in order to achieve mutual aspirations. Correa pointed out that conflicts do exist, but that all were resolved; he added that they agreed on topics on the agenda, such as respect for democracy, the fight against drug trafficking, and immigration. Correa also stated that after this visit the two countries would work together with even greater momentum.
Twitter users aired their feelings about Clinton's visit to Ecuador. Some users like Pablo Cozzaglio [es] [8](@pablocozzaglio) wondered:
[…] Qué buscarán los gringos, con ese súbito interés por Ecuador?
On the other hand, Andy Martinez [es] [9](@andrs78) feels more optimistic. He tweeted:
Hillary Clinton en Ecuador….quizas algo esta cambiando?
As a very important North American leader, Clinton raised tremendous expectations. But not all Ecuadorians were happy with her visit. A group of leftist activists [es] [10] protested outside the Carondelet Palace; they objected to the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State and even burned a U.S. flag. Protesters were identified as members of the Popular Democratic Movement (MPD [11]) and the Marxist Leninist Communist Party of Ecuador (PCMLE [12]). They showed signs that read “Down with racist immigration law” and “H. Clinton Out of Ecuador.”
However, Twitter user Vicente Alvarado [es] [13] disagrees with protesters. A tweet he sent read:
Ecuador avanza en relaciones con USA… MPD atrasa pueblo,protestando contra de Clinton. Saben cuanto comercializamos con USA? Ignorantes