QUITO, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Fander Falconi resigned on Tuesday, reportedly over obstacles to a conservation plan.

    Local media reports said Falconi, who did not specify reasons for his resignation, was unhappy with recent moves that threaten a plan to leave oil reserves unexploited in Ecuador's Yasuni National Park in the Amazon rainforest in exchange for international funding.

    Under the Yasuni initiative, Ecuador would leave some 900 million barrels of oil, worth 6 billion U.S. dollars, underground as a contribution to fighting climate change.

    In return for not developing the resource, Ecuador is seeking international donations of 3 billion U.S. dollars over the next 10years.

    Falconi, an advocate of the Yasuni initiative, led Ecuador's effort to get international support for the conservation project. However, President Rafael Correa said Saturday some countries had attached many too conditions to their donations.

    In his weekly radio address, Correa blasted the conditions as "unacceptable," saying they harmed Ecuador's sovereignty and dignity.

    The president said the committee negotiating the Yasuni initiative had until June to close a deal or his government would begin to explore the oil reserves.

    In his resignation statement, Falconi opposed the six-month time limit on the talks.

    Earlier reports said the initiative would avoid creating more than 400 million tons of carbon dioxide.