Washington - A confrontation between Bolivia's government
and wealthy regional governors in the east could soon descend into
'violence' and 'killings,' an official of the Organization of
American States (OAS) warned Wednesday.
Dante Caputo, the OAS secretary for political affairs, said the
'possibility that the tension turns into conflict and confrontation
is real,' during a special meeting of the permanent council of the
OAS in Washington.
The fears stem from a referendum on greater autonomy to be held
May 4 in the province of Santa Cruz, which lies at the heart of
Bolivia's wealthy eastern region that holds the country's natural gas
resources, as well as agriculture and industry.
Bolivian President Evo Morales, the country's first indigenous
leader, opposes the referendum and has sought to boost federal tax
revenues from the region for projects in the poorer west.
Caputo described the impasse as a 'struggle for power' between the
national government and the wealthy regions.
Morales has also been battling to nationalize the country's oil
and gas resources since his election in 2006.
'The country's resources belong to the people,' Morales said
Monday in an address before the United Nations.
Bolivia's government has accepted an offer by the OAS to mediate
talks before the May referendum, and Bolivia's OAS ambassador
Reynaldo Cuadros on Wednesday said the administration was 'ready to
correct mistakes.'
Caputo, who has already led two OAS delegations to Bolivia in the
last few weeks, said all that was needed was an 'OK' from the
regional governors to start finding a solution to the impasse.
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