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L.American leaders support Ecuadorian President after coup attempt

01 October 2010 04:48 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Latin American leaders voiced their support Thursday to Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa who earlier denounced a coup attempt against him, APA reports quoting Xinhua News Agency.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez said the government of Argentina strongly rejected the rebellion of the Ecuadorian military and police forces, which endangered its democratic institutions.

"Argentina condemns these actions and supports the constitutional government of President Rafael Correa," she added.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a close ally of Correa, expressed his concern for the situation in Ecuador and said that he believed Correa and the Ecuadorian people could defeat this coup attempt.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced his support to Correa and the Ecuadorian government, and summoned an urgent meeting of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) in a statement.

"Due to the difficult situation in Ecuador, the Colombian government vows to find a peaceful solution to the immediate restoration of the public and constitutional order," he said.

Peruvian government condemned the rebellion carried out in Ecuador by policemen and some troops, ordered to close its border with Ecuador. Peruvian President Alan Garcia expressed his rejection to the situation in Ecuador and announced that his government was coordinating with the Unasur to support Ecuador.

Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo expressed his strongest condemnation against the coup attempt in Ecuador, while Uruguayan Vice Foreign Minister Kintto Lucas said that Uruguayan President Jose Mujica expressed "all his support to President Correa."

Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, who is currently visiting Haiti, phoned his Ecuadorian counterpart Ricardo Patino to express "Brazilâ€™s total support and solidarity with President Correa and the Ecuadorian democratic institutions."

Mexican Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Mexican government would contribute to all the efforts launched by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Group of Rio to support the restoration of the internal order in Ecuador.

The Chilean, Bolivian, Nicaraguan and Cuban governments condemned the protests in Ecuador and urged the Latin American and world governments to express their solidarity with the democratic government of Ecuador.

Meanwhile, general secretary of OAS Jose Miguel Insulza and general secretary of Unasur Nestor Kirchner voiced their rejections to the situation in Ecuador and expressed their support to president Correa.

"We believe that the Ecuadorian government can bring the situation under control. We are going to issue a declaration supporting Correa and his government," Insulza said.

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa claimed on Thursday that he was "kidnapped" in a military hospital in the capital city of Quito, denouncing protests by police as a "coup attempt." Due to the situation Ecuador declared a state of emergency amid the coup attempt.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of policemen staged protests in Ecuador against a law that will cut their benefits. They later occupied the airport of Quito and blocked communications.