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Ecuadorean anti-trade protests wane, talks start
24 Mar 2006 02:10:50 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Alonso Soto

QUITO, ECUADOR, March 23 (Reuters) - Ecuadorean troops firing tear gas cleared Indian protesters from highways they had blocked as protests against a U.S. free-trade deal waned and officials began talks with Washington over the pact.

Thousands of Indian peasants have blockaded roads with piles of rubble and burning tires since last week to pressure the government to abandon trade talks. The protesters, many of whom are potato or corn farmers, fear that that they will not be able to compete with U.S. products.

Three people were wounded in clashes between rock-hurling protesters and troops clearing roadblocks in the northern province of Imbabura. One soldier was pelted by rocks and two protesters were hit by riot gas canisters or shotgun pellets, witnesses said.

But in a sign of deepening divisions between protesters, Indian leaders from the central highlands and Amazon region squabbled and yelled during meetings in Quito and their demonstration lost momentum.

"The government wants the Indians to halt protests so we can start a dialogue," Enrique Proano, the president's spokesman, told reporters. He added the protests had cost the Andean country $223 million in lost trade.

Police in Quito fired tear gas to force small pockets of Indian and high school student protesters to end a march through the city's colonial downtown. But most key roads in Quito remained calm with businesses open as usual.

The skirmishes come two days after President Alfredo Palacio declared a state of emergency in five provinces to quell protests that have become the latest headache for his weakened government before elections in October.

Ecuadorean and U.S. negotiators met in Washington for what could be the final round of trade talks.

Ecuador, which started Andean trade pact talks in May 2004, has been deadlocked with the United States, mostly over agricultural issues. Neighboring Colombia and Peru have reached trade agreements with Washington.

Palacio, a 67-year-old cardiologist who came to power after his predecessor was fired by Congress, has vowed to continue with the trade talks despite the protests.

But his government seemed to be gaining the upper hand as a meeting among Indians leaders huddled in a Quito theater dissolved into shouting matches. Some leaders said highlands Indians decided to return home to restart protests next week but Amazonian Indians, who marched to Quito, disagreed.

"We walked for ten days and now you are telling us to go back home," wailed a young Amazon Indian woman with her face painted and wearing a feathered necklace. "That's not fair."

The Ecuadorean Indian movement, once one of the most powerful in Latin America, has lost much of its force in recent years due to disputes between its leaders. Indians make up around 30 percent of Ecuador's 13 million population. (Additional reporting by Alexandra Valencia)

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Last updated:Sat Mar 25 05:48:35 2006