Quito – The government of President Alfredo Palacio on Thursday refused an indigenous demand to hold a referendum on the free trade treaty Ecuador is negotiating with the United States, raising tensions in the Andean nation, now in its 11th day of protests against the prospective pact with Washington.
“A referendum is not possible, at least at this time,” Palacio told journalists.
“First we have to finish the negotiations. When we have (the pact) negotiated, then we will consult with the people’s representative, which is Congress,” he added.
The vice president of the powerful indigenous federation known as Conaie, Santiago de la Cruz, told EFE that the Indians were “bothered” by the government’s refusal to hold the referendum and by Palacio’s reiteration that he would not speak with them while their protests continued.
In a letter sent on Wednesday to the president via Ecuador’s Catholic Bishops Conference, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities, or Conaie, asked him to hold a popular referendum in three months on the trade deal.
Palacio downplayed the need for mediators to resolve the crisis on Thursday, saying, “We don’t need mediators. We can speak directly. The only mediation we need is for all measures of force to be abandoned. In that case, I will dialogue and speak” about the matter.
Palacio met on Thursday in Guayaquil – Ecuador’s biggest city and commercial capital – with businessmen who support the signing of the free trade accord.
Amid the continuing tension, the Ecuadorian negotiating team resumed its talks in Washington with U.S. government representatives in what could be the last round of discussions on the trade agreement.
De la Cruz said that the team “can continue the negotiations and work out the document, but what we’re not going to allow is for the president to sign it or Congress to approve it before the people decide if they agree or not” with the free trade treaty.
Despite Tuesday’s imposition of a state of emergency in six provinces, soldiers and police have not managed to completely unblock the highways in the country’s northern region, which has resulted in fuel shortages in some areas.
At one location, two Indians were seriously injured when police and soldiers suppressed a demonstration – which included women and children – with tear gas.
In Quito, police fired large quantities of tear gas at marches staged by Indians, students, trade unionists and shopkeepers protesting the free trade pact in front of Congress.
The protests against the accord spread on Thursday to Guayaquil, on the coast, where university students temporarily blocked several streets calling for the referendum.
