Ecuadorean indigenous leader says fuel prices must fall by Tuesday

QUITO, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Ecuadorean indigenous leader Jaime Vargas said on Monday that gasoline and diesel prices and transportation fares must return to levels that were in effect before the government's now-canceled plan to slash fuel subsidies.

The comments followed Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno's promise to repeal a decree that had eliminated four-decade-old fuel subsidies, confirming he had given in to a chief demand of protesters who had agitated against it for nearly two weeks.

Vargas said he expected prices to be normalized by Tuesday, a sign that a law being drafted by the government and representatives of indigenous groups might not mean higher fuel prices for consumers.

"We've freed the country," Vargas told a news conference to applause from supporters. "Enough of the pillaging of the Ecuadorean people!"

(Reporting by Mitra Taj; Editing by Peter Cooney)