Minister Fox to the Secretary of State.
Quito, July 28, 1910.
Referring to my July 27. The note of the minister for foreign affairs of Ecuador reads in part as follows:
Desiring to cooperate efficaciously in the generous labor of the mediating powers and in acceding to the repeated suggestions of Chile, a nation with which we are cordially united by bonds of friendship, my Government has given to me the honorable charge to place in your excellency’s hands the accompanying memorandum of modifications of the projected protocol which might be substituted for the last three paragraphs, etc.
The memorandum, a translation of which follows:
And, finally, His Majesty the King of Spain having notified the Governments of Ecuador and Peru that, guided by his high intentions of maintaining peace between the two countries, and in order to give them the time to settle their differences in a friendly and direct manner under the auspices of the mediating powers, he had postponed the rendering of his decision without fixing a date when such postponement should come to an end; the undersigned plenipotentiaries duly recognize the high and noble sentiments which have inspired the Government of Spain and beg to offer for such an opportune and well-timed measure the homage of their sincere gratitude. And whereas the arbitration proceedings are postponed for an indefinite period and it is not expedient for either of the countries to maintain the present state of affairs, and having both accepted good offices of the three mediating powers precisely with the object of looking for an amicable and honorable solution, the undersigned representatives of Ecuador and Peru have agreed to commence direct negotiations under the moral influence of mediating States in order to try to come to an agreement by which, and taking into consideration the respective bases of justice and mutual advantage, the line of demarcation between the two nations may be fixed. And as the object of the tripartite mediation is similar to that of the two Governments, viz, the reestablishment of a lasting and unalterable peace between the nations bordering on the Amazon Basin, and bearing also in mind the existing treaties between Ecuador and Colombia, they hereby agree to invite the latter nation to take part jointly with Ecuador in the discussion of this agreement. The mediating powers will exercise amply their good and high offices in order that the conferences to be held upon the direct negotiations will produce satisfactory and definite results; they will also designate the American Capital, where the commissioners of the contending countries will meet, the suitable date when such meeting and conferences will take place, the number of delegates, as well as the formalities and necessary proceedings appertaining to the negotiations. Governments of Ecuador and Peru hereby bind themselves to submit the present protocol for the approval of their respective Congresses at their next session and to communicate such approval to the mediating powers as soon as the same is granted. During the course of the negotiations and until they are concluded the two contracting Governments agree to respect strictly the status quo in accordance with the preexisting treaties between the two Republics.