Ecuador's government gets show of support from OAS

QUITO: Ecuador's new government received a show of support from an Organisation of American States mission on Saturday, boosting its campaign to shore up international confidence over its legitimacy. Ecuadorean President Alfredo Palacio, named last week by Congress after lawmakers dismissed ex-leader Lucio Gutierrez, has deflected calls for early elections and rejected criticism his appointment was unconstitutional.

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The mission will present its initial report on Ecuador's political situation to the OAS next month. Mission representatives brushed aside questions on whether they considered the new government constitutional.

Former army colonel Gutierrez fled Quito for asylum in Brazil on Sunday four days after intense street protests against his government prompted Congress to oust him. Gutierrez, the third Ecuadorean president forced out amid unrest in eight years, had promised reforms to help the poor. But his popularity collapsed after he turned to free-market policies soon after his 2002 election.

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The international community had appeared cautious in openly accepting the newly installed government in Ecuador, South America's No. 5 oil producer and the region's second oil exporter to the United States.

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