Ecuador's Correa accuses expelled US diplomat of directing CIA operations

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa accused an expelled U.S. diplomat of directing CIA operations in the South American nation, but offered no proof. Mark Sullivan, the U.S. Embassy's first secretary in the office of regional affairs, was declared a "persona non grata" on Wednesday and ordered to leave the country within 48 hours because of what the government called "unacceptable meddling" in Ecuadorean affairs. Ecuadorean officials claim he disputed the transfer of a senior police investigator amid a growing diplomatic spat over Washington's aid to the South American nation. Last month, Ecuador ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement attache Armando Astorga expelled for supposed interference, although Washington said Astorga had already left the country when his assignment ended. Correa revisited the Sullivan case on his weekly broadcast show Saturday, saying, "Let's be clear: He is the director of the CIA in Ecuador." The president did not offer any evidence. U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Marta Youth said it is Washington's policy not to comment on intelligence matters. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Bolivian President Evo Morales, both leftist allies of Correa, also have been critical of Washington and warned of alleged CIA operations in their countries. Morales accused the agency last week of infiltrating state energy company YPFB. "Regrettably there has been a CIA presence in Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos," Morales said Friday. "Some of our companeros have been caught up in this external infiltration," Morales said, referring to a scandal over the robbery and killing of a businessman. Investigators suspect the $450,000 in cash stolen was intended as a bribe for YPFB officials. Morales did not offer any proof either, but said the government will name alleged infiltrators "at any moment."