At their meeting yesterday the Guayas Provincial Council struck a committee to help solve the province’s outstanding border disputes, in accordance with the new Law of Internal Territory Boundaries.

Of the 25 mayors who sit on the provincial council, 19 mayors were absent. Nevertheless, the meeting continued.

The prefecture’s legal adviser Xavier Sandoval said it will be up to the committee to organize dialogue between the decentralized autonomous regional governments (county mayors and parish presidents) that are currently involved in disputes.

Guayas has ten pending internal boundary conflicts and 13 border disputes that involve adjoining provinces.

Jimmy Jairala, the Guayas prefect, said the new law comprehends various methods for conflict resolution: direct negotiation, mediation, arbitration, institutional resolution and binding plebiscite.

Jairala will appoint the members of the committee that was created yesterday.

One district in dispute is Abdón Calderón, which parishes in both Guayas and Azuay claim as their own.

Jairala says that just because mostly Azuayans live in the district, it doesn’t mean the land should correspond to Azuay. He suggested that dispute should be settled by arbitration.

Jairala also said at least four disputes should be settled by the end of this year, and hopes the committe will have all of them cleared in two years.

Original story