Ecuador: Indigenous Movement Unsatisfied

Quito, May 14 (Prensa Latina) The president of the Ecuadorian Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (CONAIE), Marlon Santi, called the local government Wednesday to retake their agenda and include plurinationality in the new Ecuadorian Constitution.

"We feel insulted by the last statements given by President Rafael Correa, who criticized CONAIE and its political movement Pachakutik last week," said Santi in statements to press media Wednesday.

Santi complained on the position of the government around the indigenous agenda presented to the Ecuadorian Constituent Assembly, and even threatened to take the indigenous communities´ support out from the Ecuadorian President.

Santi warned on the lack of a favourable position of the Executive on important topics for indigenous communities such as recognition of plurinationality in the new Constitution, which he said it is not well seen by the government.

In his opinion, there is a setback on topics related with CONAIE that have to do with the exploitation of natural resources such as mining and native communities, and he stated the indigenous movement supported Correa because the indigenous proposition was part of the governmental agenda then, and now is trying to get apart from it.

He said the indigenous movement wants plurinationality becomes a right with a legal strength, to avoid prejudices in the indigenous territories or population, and advocated for the need to be consulted before deciding on a concession or exploitation of any natural resource in Ecuador.

"We won't talk to a government that ignores us," the leader of CONAIE emphasized. He also received the support of other native organizations of the Ecuadorian Sierra and the Amazon region.

His statements were registered amid a crisis of the Ecuadorian indigenous movement, for the lack of financing, division, internal political discrepancies and the discouragement of their bases, which support President Correa now.