Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 12553 / 251,287

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03 2011/04 2011/05
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15 2011/02/16 2011/02/17 2011/02/18 2011/02/19 2011/02/20 2011/02/21 2011/02/22 2011/02/23 2011/02/24 2011/02/25 2011/02/26 2011/02/27 2011/02/28
2011/03/01 2011/03/02 2011/03/03 2011/03/04 2011/03/05 2011/03/06 2011/03/07 2011/03/08 2011/03/09 2011/03/10 2011/03/11 2011/03/13 2011/03/14 2011/03/15 2011/03/16 2011/03/17 2011/03/18 2011/03/19 2011/03/20 2011/03/21 2011/03/22 2011/03/23 2011/03/24 2011/03/25 2011/03/26 2011/03/27 2011/03/28 2011/03/29 2011/03/30 2011/03/31
2011/04/01 2011/04/02 2011/04/03 2011/04/04 2011/04/05 2011/04/06 2011/04/07 2011/04/08 2011/04/09 2011/04/10 2011/04/11 2011/04/12 2011/04/13 2011/04/14 2011/04/15 2011/04/16 2011/04/17 2011/04/18 2011/04/19 2011/04/20 2011/04/21 2011/04/22 2011/04/23 2011/04/24 2011/04/25 2011/04/26 2011/04/27 2011/04/28 2011/04/29 2011/04/30
2011/05/01 2011/05/02 2011/05/03 2011/05/04 2011/05/05 2011/05/06 2011/05/07 2011/05/08 2011/05/09 2011/05/10 2011/05/11 2011/05/12

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 96 97 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1985/03 1985/06
1986/05
1987/06
1988/01
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08 1990/10
1991/05
1992/01 1992/06 1992/12
1993/10
1996/11
1997/12
2000/05 2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/06 2001/07 2001/09 2001/10 2001/11
2002/01 2002/02 2002/03 2002/04 2002/07 2002/08 2002/09 2002/11
2003/01 2003/02 2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Apia Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Auckland Consulate Amsterdam Consulate Adana American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belmopan Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Ciudad Juarez Consulate Chennai Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dili Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown Consulate Fukuoka
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guayaquil Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Ho Chi Minh City Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamilton Consulate Hamburg Consulate Halifax
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kingston Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kathmandu Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy La Paz Consulate Lahore Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE Mission USNATO Mission UNESCO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maputo Embassy Manila Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Mumbai Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey Consulate Milan Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia Embassy Niamey Embassy New Delhi Embassy Ndjamena Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples Consulate Naha
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Of Spain Embassy Port Louis Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito Consulate Quebec
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Suva Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate St Petersburg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sapporo Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn Consulate Toronto Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Office Almaty US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Embassy Valletta Consulate Vladivostok Consulate Vancouver
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
APECO ASEC AMGT AFIN APER ACABQ AORC AEMR AF AE AR AGMT AU AY ABLD AS AG AJ APCS AX AM AMEX ATRN ADM AMED AFGHANISTAN AZ AL ASUP AND ARM ASEAN AFFAIRS AQ ATFN AMBASSADOR AODE APEC ACBAQ AFSI AFSN AO ABUD AC ADPM ADCO ASIG ARF AUC ASEX AGAO AA AER AVERY AGRICULTURE AIT AADP ASCH AORL AROC ACOA ANET AID AMCHAMS AINF AMG AFU AN ALOW ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG ACS ADANA AECL ACAO AORG AGR
BEXP BR BM BG BL BA BTIO BO BP BC BILAT BK BU BD BRUSSELS BB BF BBSR BIDEN BX BE BH BT BY BMGT BWC BTIU BN
CA CASC CFED CO CH CS CU CE CI CM CMGT CJAN COM CG CIS CVIS CR CKGR CHR CVR COUNTER CIA CLINTON CY CPAS CD CBW COUNTERTERRORISM CITEL CDG CW CODEL COUNTRY CLEARANCE COE CN CARICOM CB CONDOLEEZZA CWC CACS CSW CIDA CIC CITT CONS CL CACM CDB CDC CAN CF CJUS CTM CBSA CARSON CT CLMT CBC CEUDA CV COPUOS CTR CROS CAPC CAC CNARC CICTE CBE
DA DR DHS DPRK DEPT DEA DISENGAGEMENT DE DJ DOMESTIC DOD DOE DTRA DS DEFENSE DEAX DAO DCM DO DK
ECON ETRD EIND ENRG EC ELAB EAGR EAID EFIS EFIN EINV EUN EG EPET EAIR EU ELTN EWWT ECIN ERD EI ETTC EUR EN EZ ETC ENVI EMIN ET ENVR ER ECPS EINT EAP ES ENIV ECONOMY EXTERNAL EINN EFTA ECONOMIC EPA EXBS ECA ELN ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS ENGR ECUN ENGY ECONOMICS ELECTIONS EIAR EINDETRD EREL EUC ECONEFIN EURN EDU ETRDEINVTINTCS ECIP ENERG EFIM EAIDS EK ETRDECONWTOCS EINVETC ECONCS EUNCH ESA ECINECONCS EUREM ESENV EFINECONCS ETRC ENNP EAIG EXIM EEPET EINVECONSENVCSJA EUMEM ETRA ERNG ETRO ETRN EINVEFIN
FI FR FJ FAO FTAA FM FINR FAC FBI FREEDOM FOR FINANCE FTA FARC FOI FMLN FDA FOREIGN FO FISO FAS
GM GG GA GY GT GAERC GOV GE GZ GR GOI GV GH GAZA GANGS GCC GTIP GLOBAL GERARD GTMO GL GF
HR HA HO HU HILLARY HK HI HURI HUMAN HSTC HEBRON HYMPSK HUMOR
ICTY IN IS IR IC IZ IA INTERPOL IAEA IT IMO IO IV ID IRAQI IEA INRB IL IWC ITU ICAO ISRAELI ICRC IIP IMF IBRD ISLAMISTS ITALY ITALIAN ILO IPR IQ IRS IAHRC IZPREL IRAJ IDP ILC ITF ICJ IF ITPHUM INMARSAT ISRAEL IACI IBET ITRA INR IRC IDA ICTR IGAD INRA INRO IEFIN INTELSAT INTERNAL INDO ITPGOV
JA JO JUS JAMES JP JOSEPH JM JOHNNIE JOHN
KWMN KSCA KDEM KTFN KIPR KCRM KPAL KE KPAO KPKO KS KN KISL KFRD KJUS KIRF KFLO KG KTIP KTER KRCM KTIA KGHG KIRC KU KPRP KMCA KMPI KSEO KNNP KZ KNEI KCOR KOMC KCFC KSTC KMDR KFLU KSAF KSEP KSAC KR KGIC KSUM KWBG KCIP KDRG KOLY KAWC KCHG KHDP KRVC KBIO KAWK KGCC KHLS KBCT KPLS KREL KCFE KMFO KV KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KFTFN KVPR KTDB KSPR KIDE KVRP KTEX KBTR KTRD KICC KCOM KO KLIG KDEMAF KMRS KRAD KOCI KSTH KUNR KNSD KGIT KFSC KHIV KPAI KICA KACT KHUM KREC KSEC KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KCMR KPIN KESS KDEV KNAR KNUC KPWR KENV KWWMN KWMNCS KPRV KOM KBTS KCRS KNPP KWNM KRFD KVIR KTBT KAID KRIM KDDG KRGY KHSA KWMM KMOC KSCI KPAK KX KPAONZ KCGC KID KPOA KIFR KFIN KWAC KOMS KCRCM KNUP KMIG KNNPMNUC KERG KTLA KCSY KJUST
LY LE LH LTTE LG LO LI LAB LOG LT LU LABOR LA
MOPS MARR MASS MNUC MX MCAP MO MR MI MD MK MA MP MY MTCRE MOPPS MASC MIL MTS MLS MILI MAR MU MEPN MAPP MTCR MEPI MZ MEETINGS MG MW MAS MT MCC MIK ML MARAD MV MERCOSUR MTRE MPOS MEPP MILITARY MDC MQADHAFI MUCN MRCRE MAPS MEDIA MASSMNUC MC
NZ NZUS NL NU NATO NP NO NIPP NE NH NR NA NPT NI NSF NG NSG NAFTA NC NDP NEW NRR NATIONAL NT NS NASA NAR NV NORAD NSSP NK NPA NGO NSC NATOPREL NW NPG NSFO
OPDC OTRA OIIP OREP OVIP OSCE OEXC OIE OPRC OAS OPIC OTR OMIG OSAC OFFICIALS OECD OSCI OBSP OFDA OPCW ODIP OFDP OES OPAD OCII OHUM OVP ON OIC OCS
PHUM PREL PGOV PINR PTER PARM PREF PM PE PINS PK PHSA PBTS PRGOV PA PORG PP PS PGOF PL PO PARMS PKFK PSOE PEPR PAK POL PPA PINT PMAR PRELP PREFA PALESTINIAN PBIO PINF PNG PMIL PFOR PUNE PGOVLO PAO POLITICS PHUMBA PSEPC PTBS PCUL PROP PNAT PNR POLINT PGOVE PROG PHALANAGE PARTY PDEM PECON PROV PHUMPREL PGOC PY PCI PLN PDOV PREO PGIV PHUH PAS PU POGOV PF PINL POV PAHO PRL PG PRAM POLITICAL PARTIES POLICY PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PGGV PHUS PSA PHUMPGOV PEL PSI PAIGH POSTS PBT PTERE
QA
RS RU RW RM RO RP REGION RSP RF RICE RCMP RFE RIGHTS RIGHTSPOLMIL ROBERT RUPREL RELATIONS ROOD REACTION RSO REPORT
SENV SNAR SCUL SR SC SOCI SMIG SI SP SU SO SW SY SA SZ SAN SF SN STEINBERG SG ST SIPDIS SNARIZ SNARN SSA SK SPCVIS SOFA SAARC SL SEVN SARS SIPRS SHUM SANC SWE SHI SYR SNARCS SPCE SYRIA SEN SH SCRS SENVKGHG
TRGY TSPL TPHY TSPA TBIO TI TW THPY TX TU TS TZ TC TH TT TIP TO TERRORISM TRSY TINT TN TURKEY TBID TL TV TNGD TD TF TP TFIN TAGS TK TR
UNSC UK UNGA UN US UNHRC UG UP UNMIK UNHCR UE USTR UNVIE UAE UZ UY UNO UNESCO USEU USOAS UV UNODC UNCHS UNFICYP UNEP UNIDROIT UNDESCO UNDP UNPUOS UNC UNAUS USUN UNCHC UNCHR UNCND UNICEF UNCSD UNDC USNC USPS USAID
VZ VE VT VM VTPREL VN VTIZ VAT VC VTEG VI
WTRO WHO WBG WB WWARD WHA WS WITH WI WIPO WTO WTRQ WHTI WEU WZ WFP WMD WMO WA
XK XG XA XW XL XM XV XF XC XB XU XR XT XZ XH XE XX XQ XS XD XTAG XI XY
YM YI YE YMCS
ZI ZF ZU ZP ZR ZEALAND ZN ZL ZB ZA ZK ZOELLICK ZO ZANU ZJ

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 10GUAYAQUIL13, GUAYAQUIL PROTESTS AGAINST CORREA REGIME

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #10GUAYAQUIL13.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
10GUAYAQUIL13 | 2010-02-12 20:01 | 2011-04-19 00:30 | CONFIDENTIAL | Consulate Guayaquil
Appears in these articles: http://www.eluniverso.com/2011/04/18/1/1355/cable-248733.html

`

    VZCZCXYZ0000
    RR RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHGL #0013/01 0432001
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    R 122001Z FEB 10
    FM AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0153
    INFO RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L GUAYAQUIL 000013

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/12
    TAGS: PGOV EC
    SUBJECT: GUAYAQUIL PROTESTS AGAINST CORREA REGIME

    DERIVED FROM: DSCG 05-1 (B), (D)

    ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. On February 11, several hundred thousand lin...

    id: 248733
    date: 2/12/2010 20:01
    refid: 10GUAYAQUIL13
    origin: Consulate Guayaquil
    classification: CONFIDENTIAL
    destination:
    header:
    VZCZCXYZ0000
    RR RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHGL #0013/01 0432001
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    R 122001Z FEB 10
    FM AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0153
    INFO RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL

    ----------------- header ends ----------------

    C O N F I D E N T I A L GUAYAQUIL 000013

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/12
    TAGS: PGOV EC
    SUBJECT: GUAYAQUIL PROTESTS AGAINST CORREA REGIME

    DERIVED FROM: DSCG 05-1 (B), (D)

    ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. On February 11, several hundred thousand lined
    Guayaquil's main avenue answering Mayor Jaime Nebot's call to
    protest the central government's treatment of the city. During a
    fifty-minute speech, Nebot attacked President Correa's policies
    that he claimed marginalized Guayaquil, and called on citizens to
    help him end the government's policies, not the government. Nebot
    also called on other cities to follow suit. The central government
    staged a series of initiatives, including free health clinics in
    poor neighborhoods, to stem support for the march, but media
    estimates place attendance at 200,000-350,000. The march ostensibly
    was called to protest the fact that the government's funding of
    Guayaquil was $17 million less than authorized, but quickly became
    a referendum on the government's actions against Guayaquil. Some
    are already hailing the march as a possible turning point for
    opposition in the country, but the big question remains, what next?
    End Summary.

    THE BUILD-UP

    ¶2. (U) Over the past month, Guayaquil Mayor Jaime Nebot has been
    involved in a highly publicized feud with finance minister Elsa
    Viteri over the fact that Guayaquil is budgeted to receive $17
    million less in its budget this year.  Nebot alleges that on a per
    capita basis Guayaquil is receiving considerably less than any
    other provincial capital and Quito, despite having the country's
    largest population and highest share of tax revenue to the
    government.  Viteri counters that the government used a fair and
    equitable formula to calculate the budget, but has yet to publicize
    exactly what the formula is.  Nationally, support for the new
    budget is divided along party lines.  Many small towns and centers
    of PAIS support are seeing increases in their budget and therefore
    support it.  As a response, Mayor Nebot called for a march to
    protest the way the central government treats Guayaquil.

    CHANGING THE THEME

    ¶3. (SBU) Although the march was initially called to express
    displeasure with the budget, the message coming out of Nebot's
    office in the past week was that the march was a rejection of the
    entire Correa government and its concept of 21st Century Socialism.
    This idea seems to have caught traction where the protest against
    the budget did not.  In informal discussions, consulate members did
    not note much excitement over the upcoming protests.  However, as
    the theme was expanded to include what Nebot framed as attacks
    against Guayaquil, such as the closing of a popular, municipally
    run health clinic program and a rejection of socialism, excitement
    over the march grew.

    THE MARCH

    ¶4. (U) Media estimates of the size of the crowd vary from "tens of
    thousands" to over 350,000 people.  One newspaper, Hoy, estimated
    the crowd at 200,000 based on photos from the event, but these
    photos did not take into account the significant crowds that
    overflowed on to side streets.  Those who attended the event claim
    it was larger than the large protest two years ago against the new
    constitution, which was estimated at more than 300,000 people.
    ConGen Guayaquil can confirm that 10 city blocks were full of
    people standing shoulder to shoulder.  At 1600 Nebot took to the
    stage alone.  As is his custom, he gave a rousing, profanity laden
    and seemingly unscripted speech.  He struck a careful balance
    between calling for the citizens to fight and explaining that he is
    not a "golpista" (seditionist).  "No, we are not vulgar
    incendiaries or revolutionaries, but neither are we cowards."  He
    added that Guayaquil will fight "till the end of the dictator, not
    the president."  On numerous occasions he compared Correa to Hugo
    Chavez, which led to strong applause.  "We don't want to be
    Caracas.  If he (Correa) likes it, he should go to Caracas or stay
    in Cuba," referring to the fact that Correa left the day before the
    protest to have knee surgery in Cuba.

    EXTENSIVE PREPARATION

    ¶5.  (U) The city exerted an enormous effort to organize the march.
    Buses were provided free of charge from all parts of the city and
    the city's mass transit system, the MetroVia, was free for all
    protesters going to and from the march.  Police were stationed
    throughout the city to direct busses downtown.  Newspaper reports
    state that more than 3,000 community organizations were involved in
    sending people to the protest.  Many employers gave their employees
    the afternoon off so they could go downtown as well.  Lastly, the
    city used a media blitz of billboards, newspaper, TV and radio
    advertisements to drum up support for the march.  The government
    countered with its own national media blitz, alleging that Nebot's
    budgetary assertions were merely a political ploy, and his main

    intention was asserting special rights for Guayaquil over the rest
    of the country.

    GOVERNMENT REACTION

    ¶6.  (C)  Unlike in previous protests, the Correa regime did not
    mount a counter-protest.  They tried to frame the march as a
    political maneuver on the part of Nebot rather than genuine outrage
    on the part of the population.  In an attempt to downplay the size
    of the march, Correa accused Nebot of giving people ten dollars or
    a sandwich to attend the protest.  [Note: Those attending the march
    cited the perceived disrespect of Guayaquil in this comment as one
    of the prime motivating factors for participating in the march.
    End Note.]  At the same time of the march, Guayas governor Roberto
    Cuero of Correa's Proud and Sovereign Fatherland (PAIS) Alliance
    was in poor parts of the city distributing low-energy light bulbs
    and overseeing the delivery of medical services and garbage clean
    up in what he claims are sectors not properly served by the Nebot
    administration.  Although Cuero claims these programs were planned
    well before the protest and were not meant to be a response, they
    are widely perceived in the city to be the central government's
    attempt to keep people from attending the protest.  [Note:
    Governors in Ecuador are appointed by the central government.  End
    note.]

    GOING NATIONAL

    ¶7. (C)  In a meeting with the Consul General the day before the
    protest, Carlos Vera, the popular TV personality and outspoken
    critic of the Correa administration, told the CG that he urged the
    mayor to address his speech to a national audience rather than just
    Guayaquil and to appear on stage with opposition figures from
    around the country.  According to Vera, Nebot declined to do so,
    saying that he is only fighting for Guayaquil and has no further
    interest in national politics.  They agreed that Vera would lead
    opposition protests in other cities, beginning with his already
    scheduled march in Quito on February 18th.  Although Nebot did
    appear onstage alone and addressed his speech to Guayaquil, he
    offered Vera one concession: in his speech he called on cities
    throughout the country to rise up and protest.

    ¶8. (C) COMMENT:  If the march's sole aim was to regain the "lost"
    $17 million, it will likely fail as the central government is
    unlikely to give in (the president of the National Assembly even
    stated he would censure the Finance Minister if she were to give
    Guayaquil more money than the law allowed).  However, some in the
    opposition are hailing the march as a turning point and are hoping
    that marches planned in other cities will generate similar support.
    The next protest march, being organized by Carlos Vera, is slated
    for Quito February 18.  It is unlikely that marches in other cities
    will get 10-15% of the population onto the streets, but if marches
    in other regions do draw significant turnout, it could mark the
    first time that popular protests started on the coast cross
    geographic boundaries into the highlands (which have consistently
    been more supportive of Correa).  Given the president's falling
    popularity, opposition groups are hoping this could occur, but they
    lack a unified vision and a leader capable of rallying all the
    disparate elements of the opposition.  END COMMENT.
    Fernandez

    =======================CABLE ENDS============================

`