QUITO, April 26 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States has not offered an official recognition to Ecuador's new government yet, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday.

    At a press conference during her flight to Brazil, where she is scheduled to start a Latin American tour, Rice said the preoccupation of the new government is to keep constitutional processes.

    Nevertheless, she said it is not a problem for the United States to cooperate with the government, headed by President Alfredo Palacio and installed after the ouster of former President Lucio Gutierrez last week.

    "We could work with governments from different backgrounds. This is not a problem. We are concerned about the keeping of constitutional processes," said Rice.

    Latin America's democracies are fragile as they are subject to a number of unstable factors such as the poor distribution of wealth, which have to be solved first, she added.

    On Monday, US Ambassador to Ecuador Kristie Kenney said relations between the two countries remain "as usual."

    After meeting with Palacio, the ambassador said Washington seeks to help Ecuador strengthen its democratic system.

    Kenney expressed her support to Palacio, saying dialogues are the best mechanism for the interests of both countries.

    Ecuador has been in a turmoil after its congress voted last Wednesday to fire Gutierrez for "abandoning his post" and named Palacio to replace him. Gutierrez fled into exile in Brazil on Sunday. Enditem