'Civil war in Ecuador if poor remained ignored'

QUITO, Jan 25: Leaders of the vast Quechua Indian movement that toppled the government of President Jamil Mahuad last weekend, warned Monday that there could be a civil war in Ecuador if the needs of the nation's poorest residents were not met, reports AFP.

Some 10,000 Indians from around Ecuador peacefully occupied Congress, the Supreme Court, and the presidential palace Friday in an effort to oust Mahuad and change the president's economic policies.

"The indigenous uprising continues, but it is temporarily suspended," said Antonio Vargas, head of the powerful Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE).

Vargas formed a three-man "government of national salvation" Friday along with Army Colonel Lucio Gutierrez and former Supreme Court judge Carlos Solorzano.

The junta ousted Mahuad, but was co-opted by the head of the armed forces, General Carlos Mendoza, who handed power to Mahuad's vice-president, Gustavo Noboa, early Saturday.

Vargas withdrew the CONAIE Indians who had occupied Quito for several days early Saturday in order to avoid bloodshed and to thwart a military dictatorship, he said.

Attorney General Mariana Yepez asked Congress on Monday to press conspiracy charges against of those who participated in the government coup, including Vargas, Solorzano and Gutierrez. The charges carry a maximum sentence of eight years in prison.

Gutierrez is currently under arrest at an army base, apparently along with seven other mid-ranking officers. Solorzano is in hiding.

Vargas said that he was not in hiding, despite press reports to the contrary.

The CONAIE leadership "will not flee because we were not involved in a coup" but rather in a "popular government," Vargas said.

Vargas publicly challenged Yepez to arrest him, and called for the release of Gutierrez and the other pro-Indian officers.

Responding to a report that Noboa is willing to negotiate, Vargas said that his group "will first evaluate the situation and consult our members around the country, and then decide."