La Paz - Bolivia's President Evo Morales started talks with
the opposition Sunday after days of violent clashes between
government supporters and protestors in the country's energy-rich
eastern provinces.
At the same time, Morales ordered the arrest of the governor of
Pando region, Leopoldo Fernandez, a leading opposition member, saying
he must be put away for 30 years.
Fernandez allegedly orchestrated a 'massacre' in Pando on
Thursday, in which hired killers from Peru and Brazil killed dozens
of government supporters, Deputy President Alvaro Garcia Linera said.
At least 25 people were killed in the Pando clashes, unofficial
reports said.
Bolivia's crisis centres on Morales plans to hold a referendum on
a new constitution in December, in which he aims to redistribute
Bolivia's wealth in favour of the impoverished indigenous majority.
His opponents, descendants of European immigrants in the south and
east of the country, demand 30 per cent of the tax returns from oil
and natural gas revenues, which is currently used to provide pensions
for all citizens.
No information was available on the outcome of talks between
Morales and Mario Cossia, prefect of Tarija region, one of the five
regions controlled by the opposition.
The leftist president declared a state of emergency for Pando on
Friday and the military regained control over the provincial capital
Cobija, without the previously feared firefights with opposition
protestors, Bolivian media said.
The opposition blamed the government of making Fernandez, who said
the government provoked the clashes, solely responsible for the
violence. Former president Jorge Quiroga, a member of the opposition,
demanded an international investigation.
International media representatives said the military prevented
journalists from entering Cobjia.
Meanwhile, Branko Marinkovic, a key opposition leader, ordered the
lifting of roadblocks in the wealthy Santa Cruz region, as a sign of
goodwill.
The Union of South American Nations meanwhile called a crisis
summit in the Chile, in which Morales agreed to participate.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story