The Biden administration on Tuesday scolded Ecuador for its decision to raid the Mexican Embassy on Friday to arrest an official facing corruption charges.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the decision to break down doors and capture former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who sought asylum at the embassy, violated the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, “including the use of force against embassy officials.”
“We reviewed the security camera footage from the Mexican embassy and believe these actions were wrong. The Ecuadorian government disregarded its obligations — under international law as a host state — to respect the inviolability of diplomatic missions and jeopardized the foundation of basic diplomatic norms and relationships,” Mr. Sullivan said.
The Biden administration urged Ecuador and Mexico to resolve the dispute.
Mr. Glas resided at the Mexican Embassy since December. He sought asylum after being indicted on corruption charges.
Alicia Bárcena, Mexico’s secretary of foreign relations said Mexico plans to challenge the raid on Monday at the World Court in The Hague. She said 18 countries in Latin America, 20 in Europe and the Organization of American States have backed Mexico’s challenge.
Diplomatic premises are considered foreign soil and “inviolable” under the Vienna treaties and law enforcement agencies in host countries are not allowed to enter an embassy without the permission of the ambassador. People seeking asylum have lived for days or years at embassies around the world, including at Ecuador’s in London, which housed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for seven years as British police could not enter to arrest him.
Mr. Glas on Saturday was taken from the attorney general’s office in Quito to the port city of Guayaquil, where he is being housed at a maximum-security prison.
• This story is based in part on wire service reports.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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