Ecuadorian gov’t upset at cuts in U.S. counter narcotics funds

Ecuador’s government sternly criticized the Bush administration’s plan to decrease counter narcotics aid to Ecuador by 40% over the next 2 years. “There are principles of joint responsibility and fairness, and under those principles the US must respond to the efforts Ecuador has made,” said Ecuador’s Foreign Minister in reaction to a move that will most likely be seen as retaliation against left-wing populist leaders.

In the meantime, one of the Bush administration’s closest allies in the “war on drugs”- Colombian president Alvaro Uribe- traveled to New York yesterday in order to raise support for his own counter narcotics plan.

Update: Ecuador's government plans to file a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice against Colombia's aerial fumigation of crops along its border with Ecuador. (Links via Reuters AlertNet and The Latin Americanist)

Links- MSN Money, The Latin Americanist, Monsters & Critics

Image- BBC News