Ecuador Begins Talks with Protestors

Ecuador´s government opened talks with protest leaders who have choked off the country´s oil exports, but officials said a full recovery in production was a long way off. Oil exports remain suspended Monday but production has risen as the army took control of oil fields that had been under siege, allowing workers to repair damage. Output by state-controlled Petroecuador totaled 70,000 barrels Monday, compared to Saturday´s 33,000 but well under the 200,000 bpd level before the protests began last week. Ecuadorean Energy Minister Ivan Rodriguez said some oil wells may have been permanently damaged by the attacks and may be unable to return to normal activity.