Government and Protestors to Meet Sunday in Ecuador

HAVANA TIMES – Ecuadorian government officials and indigenous protesters were set to meet for talks on Sunday afternoon in the capital, Quito, according to a joint statement from the Ecuadorian bishops’ conference and the United Nations, reported dpa news.

“We trust in the good will of all to establish a dialogue of good faith and to find a prompt solution to the complex situation the country is experiencing,” the two said in a statement on Saturday.

The South American country has been beset by nationwide demonstrations against austerity measures agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They included a decision to lift 40-year-old fuel subsidies.

Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno had imposed a curfew starting Saturday at 3 pm (2000 GMT) in an attempt to quell the protests.

Protesters in Quito on Friday lit fires and hurled stones at riot police, who shot tear gas and protected themselves with shields, according to local media and Colombian broadcaster Caracol.

Moreno has been forced to move the government out of the capital as a result of the unrest.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis said on Sunday from the Vatican that he was following Ecuador’s violent protests, triggered by austerity measures, with concern and called for all the parties involved to seek out peace.