Mexico wants UN to suspend Ecuador over police raid on its embassy in Quito

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's president said Thursday his country wants the United Nations to suspend Ecuador from the world body as part of a complaint to the top UN court over Ecuador's police raid last week on the Mexican embassy in Quito.

Tensions between Mexico and Ecuador have soared since late last week when Ecuadorian authorities forced their way into the diplomatic mission to arrest Ecuador's former Vice President Jorge Glas who had been holed up there seeking asylum in Mexico.

Mexico filed its complaint Thursday at the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands asking the UN to suspend Ecuador, although a UN spokesman in New York said it would be up to other member states to decide on suspending a country.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, at a news conference in Mexico City, railed against Ecuador and said that the court, “in accordance with the United Nations charter, should approve the expulsion, and there should be no veto” from the UN Security Council.

López Obrador said Mexico is demanding a public apology from Ecuador for the raid, reparation of damages and a promise not to do it again. Ecuadoran Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld said her country would defend its actions and said an apology “is not something that is under discussion at this moment.”

The two countries have been tussling over Glas, a convicted criminal and fugitive, since he took refuge at Mexico's embassy in December.

Ecuador has argued that Glas has been targeted for crimes, not for political reasons, and that Mexico should not have been considering asylum for him. On April 5, Ecuadorian police scaled the embassy walls and broke into the building.

Roberto Canseco, Mexico's head of consular affairs and the highest ranking diplomat present since Ecuador expelled the ambassador earlier in the week, tried to keep them from entering, even pushing a large cabinet in front of a door. But police restrained him and pushed him to the floor as they carried Glas out.

A copy of Mexico's formal complaint filed with the ICJ said, “Mr. Canseco was violently assaulted at the Embassy library,” adding, “This resulted in injuries to his arms, legs, face, back, and neck, as well as psychological harm.”

The complaint claims that “a member of the United Nations which has persistently violated the Principles contained therein may be expelled from the Organization.”

It asked the court “to suspend Ecuador as member of the United Nations” until it issues “a public apology recognising its violations to the fundamental principles and norms of international law” and agrees to reparations.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Thursday that “on the issue of membership suspended, it's outlined in the (UN) Charter, it's an issue for the member states to decide.”

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