At least 1 dead as Ecuador Indians, military clash Date: Mon, 5 Feb 2001 At least 1 dead as Ecuador Indians, military clash QUITO, Ecuador, Feb 5 (Reuters) - At least one protester was killed and dozens injured on Monday amid violent clashes between Ecuadorean Indian demonstrators and the armed forces barely a year after a similar uprising toppled the government. The Andean country's armed forces said one of the Indian demonstrators, who have been protesting high gasoline and transportation prices for the past week, was killed and four were hurt after the military attempted to clear them from a bridge in the Amazon Napo province. But Benjamin Canelos, a member of the Federation of Indian Organizations (FOIN) in Napo, told Reuters four people were killed when the army opened fire on a group of some 3,000 demonstrators leading a march through the city of Puerto Napo. It was unclear whether Canelos' comments were related to the same incident. The armed forces also said in a statement the indigenous demonstrators had taken over an airport control tower in the city of Tena and set it on fire. Fourteen Indian protesters and nine soldiers were hurt in the clash. TALKS FALL APART The Italy-sized nation of 12.4 million people is struggling to consolidate political stability a year after a similar Indian uprising, backed by military personnel, toppled former president Jamil Mahuad, turning then-vice president Gustavo Noboa into Ecuador's fourth president in the last four years. Analysts consulted by Reuters said a repeat coup is unlikely, since Noboa has the support of the business community and the military, which frequently acts as a powerbroker. Late Sunday night Indian leaders met with the vice president and several cabinet ministers to discuss a peaceful resolution to the conflict. But by Monday morning, Indian leaders had withdrawn from the dialogue. Blanca Chancoso, a leader of the National Indian Federation, told Reuters that talks were suspended, citing continuing government repression. On Friday, the government declared a state of emergency to deal with some 5,000 Indians who have traveled to the capital city Quito for the protest. The move allows the government to restrict travel, group meetings and apply military and police force where it deems necessary. Highways across the nation's highlands have been blocked for more than a week, making travel and trade nearly impossible and triggering a scarcity of basic goods -- fruits, vegetables and fuel -- in some of Ecuador's biggest cities. Indian demonstrators are backed by various student, teacher and union groups which have planned a strike for Wednesday. The South American country is struggling through a tough economic crisis which saw it default on its debt in 1999 and post the highest inflation in Latin American three years running. Only about 25 percent of Ecuadoreans seeking work hold a full-time job and its foreign debt is equal to about 80 percent of its gross domestic product.