US expels Ecuadorian ambassador

The Obama administration expelled the Ecuadorian ambassador on Thursday in retaliation for the expulsion of the US envoy to Ecuador over her comments in leaked State Department cables.

A US official told The Associated Press that Ecuadorian Ambassador Luis Gallegos was summoned to the State Department and informed of the decision by Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela. The official said Gallegos was declared "persona non grata" and ordered to leave the United States as soon as possible. In addition to the expulsion, the official said high-level US-Ecuador talks set for June had been suspended. (AP)