Ecuador Protesters to Negotiate

Leaders of protests that shut down Ecuador’s oil industry were freed from jail after agreeing to halt their attacks and negotiate with the government, officials on both sides of the conflict said Sunday.

The protesters, who started blowing up pipelines and vandalizing pumping machinery last week in the Amazon region of the country, said they would remain on alert should the negotiations break down.

Output by state oil firm Petroecuador, which suspended exports Thursday, totaled 54,000 barrels Sunday. That was up from 33,167 Saturday, but below the 201,000 barrels per day typical before the protests. Most of Ecuador’s oil exports go to the United States.

Demanding jobs and infrastructure investment, the protesters invaded oil fields in Sucumbios and Orellana provinces, helping push U.S. crude oil futures up $2 to more than $65 a barrel Friday.

“We think Petroecuador is ready to help us with some of our requests, the most important of which is that it and the private oil companies operating in the area build roads and do more to reverse the environmental damage they have done,” said Edmundo Espindola, mayor of Shushufindi in Sucumbios.

A delegation of protest leaders prepared Sunday to travel to Quito for talks.

Many of the protest leaders released Saturday are elected regional officials. Gen. Gonzalo Mesa, head of army operations in the area, said dozens of protesters remained jailed pending the outcome of the talks.