Ecuador says U.S. base must go

QUITO, Ecuador, July 30 (UPI) -- Ecuador won't renew its lease with the United States for an air base in the South American country used for anti-drug flights, said Ecuadorian officials.

The long-standing agreement by which U.S. military plane take off from the Manta Air Base will not be renewed when the lease of the facility ends in 2009, El Comercio reported Wednesday.

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has in recent months made clear his displeasure with the presence of U.S. troops operating at the base under an agreement negotiated in 1999.