LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Ecuador not in cahoots with Iran

OPINION:

Some of the statements made about Ecuador in a recent column ( “Iran’s nuclear agenda comes to our backyard,” Commentary, Jan. 10) are incorrect.

First, Ecuador has not discovered any evidence of uranium deposits that would attract commercial interest for exploitation, as the article asserts. For this reason, Ecuador has not initiated any exploration or prospecting for uranium on its territory, nor would it be possible to reach an agreement with Iran or any nation for the exploitation of that mineral. So the claim that Ecuador has signed a $30 million agreement with the government of Iran for uranium prospecting is false, and it will generate unnecessary confusion.

Ecuador has traditionally opposed the development of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and is therefore part of the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which bans nuclear weapons in Latin America. However, Ecuador recognizes the right of all states to develop and conduct research on the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

NATHALIE CELY

Ambassador, Embassy of Ecuador

Washington