Respect Vienna Convention, Ecuador & Mexico urged

Quito (Ecuador), April 7

International leaders have condemned Ecuador after police in the country’s capital broke into the Mexican Embassy to arrest former vice-president Jorge Glas, who had been granted political asylum and had been residing there since December.

The Organisation of American States reminded its members, which include Ecuador and Mexico, of their obligation not to “invoke norms of domestic law to justify non-compliance with their international obligations”.

The Spanish foreign ministry said: “The entry by force into the Embassy of Mexico in Quito constitutes a violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We call for respect for international law and harmony between Mexico and Ecuado.” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said “the US condemns any violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and takes very seriously the obligation of host countries under international law to respect the inviolability of diplomatic missions”. — AP