Ecuador’s land dispute solved by former president

Former Ecuadorian President Jamil Mahuad gave insights on campus Friday to students about negotiations that lead to a peace agreement that ended Peru and Ecuador’s border dispute.

The lecture on Friday in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs’ Tavis Smiley Atrium, was part of the Third Annual Spring Conference of the International Public Affairs. Mahuad talked about negotiation tactics he used while resolving the land dispute between Ecuador and Peru.

Mahuad was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 because of the resolution, according to an IU press release.

Through a slide show presentation, Mahuad explained to the audience of about 50 people the negotiations that took place in 1998 when he was president of Ecuador.
Mahuad explained that the border dispute between the two countries had existed for hundreds of years.

“How can you give a piece of land to two different countries?” Mahuad asked.
Two days after his inauguration as president, he was informed about the possibility of Peru invading Ecuador because of the land, he said.

Mahuad considered the different choices and outcomes Ecuador had at that time. He explained what would happen if Ecuador went to war with Peru again or if the two countries decided to give negotiations another try.

Ultimately, Mahuad said Ecuador decided to open up negotiations with Peru especially because his country was not very economically stable at the time.

During the negotiations, Mahuad said he was honest with the then-president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori.

He said he acknowledged Fujimori had more experience as president of a country and understood how he felt over the border dispute.

Mahuad said the emotional aspects of the land for both the leaders and the countries was also important during the negotiations.

“The human connection is so important,” he said. “It’s not just about rational things.”
Farah Abi-Akar, a SPEA graduate student, said she found this the most interesting facet of Mahuad’s lecture on negotiations.

“I’ve always thought negotiations was very emotionally trying and different in my mind,” she said.

The two countries had about 10 meetings in different cities where they sat down and tried to figure out who owned the land.

Peru and Ecuador settled their dispute by acknowledging the differences between sovereignty and property.

Mahuad said one of the most important things about negotiating is to talk with the other party.

“We were working together on a problem,” he said, “which is the principle thing in negotiating.”

Rebecca Schrier, a SPEA graduate student and co-chairperson of the conference, said she was impressed by how Mahuad was able to help find a solution to a dispute that had been ongoing for 400 years between Ecuador and Peru.

“His ability to be able to see so many angles of the border dispute — I think it was impressive,” Schrier said.