Foreign ministers from Colombia and Ecuador will meet on November 18 in Ecuador as part of a plan to restore diplomatic ties, reports El Espectador.
Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin and her Ecuadorian counterpart Ricardo Patiño will meet as a part of the Commission on Sensitive Issues, which was created in 2009 to help the two countries restore diplomatic relations. The meeting between Holguin and Patiño, originally set for October 28, was postponed so officials could attend the funeral of former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner in Buenos Aires.
One important issue that Hulguin and Patiño will discuss is the data found on the computer of former FARC leader “Raul Rayes.” In 2008, Ecuador cut diplomatic ties with Colombia after a Colombian military raid on its territory killed an Ecuadorian Franklin Aisalla. Ecuador viewed this raid as a violation of its sovereignty and has demanded access to computer files found on the scene. The information was finally handed over to Ecuador in August, when Santos became president.
At an October 26 meeting of the commission, Ecuadorian Vice Foreign Minister Kintto Lucas announced that Ecuador wants to receive a new copy of the hard drives the Colombian armed forces found in the camp, or technical support to read the copies the government has now.
