UN chief urges diplomacy to resolve embassy raid crisis, says attention has shifted to the Middle East

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said Sunday he hopes Ecuador and Mexico can reconcile their differences in bi-lateral discussions. “It’s always better for countries to resolve disputes and reduce tensions through dialogue,” he said Sunday. “If they can’t, the United Nations can become involved but his is always a last resort.”

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres

Mexico is demanding that Ecuador be expelled from the UN until it makes a public apology for last week’s invasion of the Mexican embassy to arrest former vice president Jorge Glas. In addition to its UN membership, Ecuador currently holds a seat on the UN’s Security Council.

Guterres said the Mexico-Ecuador conflict has, “at least in the short term,” been superseded by the far more dangerous crisis between Israel and Iran. “This is why negotiations are so important to settling disputes,” he said. “The UN and the international community must focus first on the situations that pose an imminent threat to world peace, such as the weekend events in the Middle East.

On Saturday, Iran launched an estimated 200 armed drones and missiles against Israeli targets, almost all of them shot down by air defense systems.

Guterres added: “It is worth pointing out that the Israeli and Iranian crisis also began with an attack on a foreign embassy.”

According to Guterres, he is not downplaying the seriousness of Mexico’s complaints following the raid. “This was a clear violation of international law and must be addressed, even if an apology is given. The UN has already issued an official condemnation and the matter will be discussed further in the future, I am certain.”

Ultimately, he said, it is up to the members of the UN if Ecuador is punished for the raid.