"If the United States decides it cannot provide aid if we do not sign this, well, we very much regret that we will not receive the aid," Antonio Parra told Channel 6 television.

President Bush opposes the International Criminal Court, which started operating in 2003. His administration argues it could be used for frivolous or politically motivated prosecutions of American troops.

Last year, Bush signed into law a measure to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid to countries that belong to the court but have not signed a bilateral immunity agreement with the United States.

As a result, Ecuador last year forfeited $15.7 million in aid, much of it for military equipment, according to Citizens for Global Solutions, a nonprofit organization based in The Hague, Netherlands.

If military funding is cut, "that will impede our armed forces' effectiveness in the entire struggle against terrorism and narcotics trafficking inside our national territory," Parra warned.

He said he doubted the Bush administration would take more drastic action against Ecuador — a key South American ally in Washington's battle against drug trafficking.

Since 1999, the United States has used an Ecuadorean air base near the Pacific port city of Manta as an operations center for drug surveillance flights in the region.