Uribe has refused to grant concessions to the Indians until they leave the farms they have occupied in the Andean foothills of southwestern Cauca state. But tribal leaders insist they will stay as long as it takes for the government to meet their demands.

The group said Friday it wants the government to begin a far-reaching, nationwide reform program to make more land available to Indians and poor farmers.

Protest marches will be held this week to put pressure on the government, said Giovani Yule, an Indian leader.

Sporadic clashes between Indian activists and police wearing head-to-toe riot gear have left one dead and dozens wounded in Cauca over the past couple of weeks. The Indians, facing food shortages on their reservations, seized the farms after little progress was made during two years of negotiations.

Indigenous groups successfully used forced occupations in the 1980s and 1990s to increase their land holdings.