Ecuador is apparently prepared to forego the tariff-free access currently enjoyed by many of its fresh produce exports to the US – including bananas and avocados – so as to avoid coming under pressure to hand over former intelligence agent Edward Snowden, despite the fact that the prospect of him ending up in the South American country now appears less likely.
Referring to the Andean Trade Preference Act, which allows preferential access to the US for several of Ecuador's horticultural exports, the country's communications secretary Fernando Alvarado said it would not seek to extend the deal when it comes up for renewal in July.
'Ecuador does not accept pressure or threats from anyone, nor does it trade with principles or submit them to mercantile interests, however important those may be,' he said. 'Ecuador gives up, unilaterally and irrevocably, the said customs benefits.'
A number of US congress members had threatened to drop the trade agreement if Ecuador refused to cooperate with the US and proceeded to grant Snowden political asylum.
Reaction to Ecuador's latest move has been mixed, with some believing the loss of tariff-free access was inevitable even before the Snowden affair arose, and others concerned about the potential loss of a major open market.
