Ecuador pitches US military base and free trade deal to Trump allies, sources say

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Ecuadoreans privately float U.S. military base for South American country
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By Gram Slattery and
The officials also said they were interested in inking a
free trade deal with
The expressions of interest were delivered in recent weeks
to Republican lobbyists in
The military base pitch is the latest unconventional plan
advanced by the administration of Ecuadorean President
On Wednesday, Noboa announced a "strategic alliance" with
Noboa, the 37-year-old heir to one of the country's biggest
business fortunes, has publicly argued for bringing foreign
military bases to
The U.S. government had a military base on the
environmentally sensitive Galapagos Islands during World War II
and a separate base used largely to combat narcotics trafficking
on the mainland until 2009, at which point Correa forced
Several other small and medium-sized nations have been
exploring unconventional ways of building ties with
Officials in the
The filing outlining the lobbying contract does not include any reference to military bases. It does identify "migration, trade, and security issues, including anti-terrorism efforts" as potential areas of collaboration.
The Ecuadorean foreign ministry and Mercury Public Affairs did not respond to requests for comment.
TIGHT ELECTION
Noboa has campaigned on what he says has been a 15% cut in violent deaths last year, a reduction in prison violence and the capture of major gang leaders. He has vowed to keep deploying the military on the streets and in prisons to fight insecurity.
The Noboa administration is also seeking to develop
strategies alongside the
Gonzalez, 47, has expressed opposition to the presence of
foreign troops in
One of the sources familiar with the Ecuadoreans'
interactions with Republican lobbyists said they were likely
asking for too many deliverables in too short a time.
Trump has pledged to fight narcotics trafficking in
But his administration's engagement with
He has repeatedly threatened to slap 25% across-the-board
tariffs on
His administration has made a deportation deal with
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