Bolivian government holds talks with opposition

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Irish Times

Last Updated: Saturday, September 13, 2008, 09:37
Bolivian government holds talks with opposition

Bolivia's government and a main opposition rival emerged from marathon talks today voicing hope for reconciliation, after 15 - mostly pro-government peasant farmers - had been killed in clashes with right wing backers of the opposition.

Leftist President Evo Morales called the talks to try to defuse a bitter power struggle with opposition regional governors who are vehemently opposed to his socialist reforms and want a bigger share of energy resources for their regions.

The governor of natural gas-rich Tarija province, Mario Cossio, held talks at the presidential palace with the country's vice president into the early hours. He said he was representing three other rebel governors who rejected talks.

~snip~
Officials said at least 15 people - mostly pro-government peasant farmers - had been killed in clashes with right wing backers of the opposition regional governor.

"This has been a massacre which is among the darkest pages of our history, one of the bloodiest episodes in our country," said Sacha Llorenti, deputy minister for coordination of social movements. He said the peasant farmers were ambushed and attacked with machine guns on Thursday.


Read more: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0913/breaking11.htm

[Nambe]

1. Chavez offered military assistance for a reason.

The peasants don´t have money for weapons to fight back. I hope the find a peaceful solution.

[Peace Patriot]

2. Machine guns! My God! Was that Philip Goldberg's parting gift as he slinked out

of the country?

----------

Al Jazeera and the Irish Times are reporting on the talks. I haven't seen the Associated Pukes, Rotters or the other malevolent Corpo 'news' sources weigh in on this yet.

As usual, they report "clashes" between pro- and anti-government protestors--not that the Bush-backed racist fuckwads have machine-gunned 15 peasant farmers.

Clashes.

---------

Thanks for posting this, Judi. I'm very glad to see that there is some movement toward ending it peacefully. I know that everyone has tried to talk to these Bushwhackos--the OAS, the Catholic bishops, and Morales himself many times before. Let's hope the good prevails.

[Judi Lynn]

3. The machine guns are a surprise, but it reminds you of learning of the 2 shock troops

from one of the opposition areas who were caught roaming around in the airport with a Mauser mounted with a telescopic sight a short time before Evo Morales was expected to arrive.

Assassination plot suspected in Bolivia
Posted 6/20/2008 1:35 PM |

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivian officials said Friday they have arrested two men who may have planned to kill President Evo Morales. But a local prosecutor quickly released them.
Police said the two were arrested Thursday at the El Trompillo airport in the eastern city of Santa Cruz minutes before Morales was scheduled to arrive. They said one of the suspects carried a rifle and rounds of ammunition.

"The government has well-founded reasons to believe this involves an attempted assassination," said Sacha Llorenti, deputy minister of social movements, at a news conference.

But the two had already gone free before Llorenti spoke. The Santa Cruz prosecutor's office released the men late Thursday for lack of evidence they had committed a crime, said Ruben Gamarra, vice minister of the interior.

"The prosecutor's decision is lamentable because one of them was carrying a Mauser rifle with a telescopic sight," he said.

More:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2008-06-20-460684427_x.htm