Ecuador names new economic policy minister

Sat Apr 3, 2010 2:57pm EDT

* Katiuska King to replace Diego Borja as minister

* Correa wants Chevron arbitration ruling thrown out

QUITO, April 3 (Reuters) - Ecuador's President Rafael Correa on Saturday named a new economic policy minister and called for the nullification of a recent arbitration ruling against his government in its feud with oil giant Chevron.

Katiuska King, currently a vice secretary in the country's Senplades planning and development department, will be sworn in on Monday to replace outgoing Economic Policy Minister Diego Borja. A total of eight or nine new ministers are to be named, Correa said in a televised address.

"Katiuska King will be the new economic policy minister," leftist Correa said.

It was unclear whether Borja would continue to head Ecuador's central bank, which has not managed monetary policy since the country adopted the U.S. dollar in 2000.

Correa has a troubled relationship with private investors.

He is forcing foreign oil companies to renegotiate their contracts in a bid to increase state control over the sector.

The fiery leader shocked the markets in 2008 by defaulting on $3.2 billion in bonds and he has sided with plaintiffs in the Amazon region of the country who are suing U.S. oil company Chevron Corp (CVX.N) for $27 billion in environmental damages.

An arbitration panel ruled on Tuesday that Ecuador's courts violated international law by delaying rulings on commercial disputes between Chevron and Ecuador's government, and awarded Chevron $700 million.

"We are going to look to nullify this monstrosity," Correa said on Saturday, referring to the arbitration decision. (Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; editing by Todd Eastham)

Related Quotes and News

Company
Price
Related News
Comments (0)
This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.