Maravi

Bolivia is enjoying democracy, says President Morales

Bolivia is enjoying democracy, says President Morales
By Larry Moonze
Wednesday May 30, 2007 [04:00]

BOLIVIA is enjoying democracy than never before, President Evo Morales has said. And President Morales has asked Washington to extradite former Bolivian president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada to La Paz to answer charges of genocide and corruption. Opening a hospital donated by Cuba in Cochabamba, President Morales was quoted by Prensa-Latina as saying the US must be consistent with what it preached in its struggle against terrorism and must refrain from meddling in Bolivia’s internal affairs.

He said Bolivia wanted former leader Sanchez to answer to charges of killing at least 60 people during the October 2003 protests after which he fled to the US where he has been offered sanctuary. President Morales called on the US to expel Sanchez so that he was tried by the courts for all his crimes. Sanchez who ruled Bolivia between 2001 and 2003 is accused of genocide for allowing his security forces to use extreme force against demonstrators who opposed his administration’s plan to export gas throughChilean ports.

He also accused US Ambassador to Bolivia Philip Goldberg for interfering with the country’s internal affairs. President Morales, the first indigenous leader in 500 years to rule Bolivia, said the Andean state was enjoying a democracy it had never tasted before.

Recently Ambassador Goldberg said Bolivia was violating the rights of those running the law. This was after the constitutional court dismissed four acting ministers from the Supreme Court of Justice on corruption charges.

President Morales said, “I really regretted that Goldberg on the pretext of respect to powers of independence tries to defend corruption and injustice”. Meanwhile, Bolivia’s Oil Ministry has indicated that the construction of the region’s largest gas pipelines would turn Bolivia into the centre of South American energy market. Energy minister Carlos Villegas said only Argentina’s northeastern Gas Pipeline (GNEA) with an area of 932 miles would guarantee supplies to Buenos Aires and Brazil.

Villegas said the GNEA construction project expected to finish in December 2009 was endorsed by President Morales and his Argentinean counterpart Nestor Kirchner on October 19, 2006. He said Bolivia ranks as the second South American country with the largest gas reserves. “Energy integration is perfectly feasible in the area but only possible as long as there are results,” said Villegas.

Labels: BOLIVIA, DEMOCRACY, EVO MORALES, GENOCIDE

posted by MrK @ 3:35 AM