Hopes for talks to end unrest in Ecuador dim as protests roil capital

Indigenous people participate in a protest against Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno's austerity measures in Quito, Ecuador, October 11, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

QUITO (Reuters) - Hopes for a negotiated end to the worst unrest in Ecuador in at least a decade dimmed on Friday as clashes between police and anti-austerity protesters continued for a ninth day in the highland capital Quito.

In a 40-second televised address, President Lenin Moreno proposed direct talks with indigenous leaders who have mobilized thousands of protesters to the streets in the South American country of 17 million.