South American leaders hold summit on Bolivia unrest

[struggle4progress]

Source: AFP

SANTIAGO (AFP) — ...

The gathering, including Morales, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and the leaders of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay, started late and was expected to continue into the night ...

The Bolivian president decreed martial law in Pando following the deaths there of at least 16 people, most of them rural workers. A soldier and a civilian were also killed in two days of fighting after 100 troops arrived by plane Friday to seize back the main city of Cobija and its airport.

The soldiers were hunting for state governor Leopoldo Fernandez, whom they sought to arrest for rejecting the martial law order. Ten other people were already arrested, allegedly for weapons possession, the armed forces said ...

The summit was being held against a backdrop of worsening diplomatic relations between the United States and several of the Latin American leaders attending the gathering, following Morales's decision to expel the US ambassador in La Paz for allegedly aiding the Bolivian opposition ...

Read more: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hAMtUoGGDlQW99kQfmeiW2FDUdZg

[ananda]

1. Chavez s h o u l d be there.

nt

[High Plains]

2. Chavez is there.

Per this AP story: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hDcLNRc4XvPkOUNwUTr-7tp2pFVgD937F7B00

Arriving in Chile on Monday, Chavez said "a conspiracy directed by the U.S. empire" was at work in Bolivia. He compared it to the 1973 coup, supported by the CIA, that toppled Chile's President Salvador Allende.

[Nambe]

3. Neighbours back Bolivian leader (9 Presidents)

Source: BBC

An emergency summit of South American leaders to discuss the turmoil in Bolovia has given its full backing to President Evo Morales.

Nine presidents condemned last week's political violence in which 30 people were killed, and called on Bolivia's opposition to end its protests. ...

... He said the emergency meeting of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) in Santiago, Chile, was important as democracy had to be defended not only in Bolivia but all of South America. ...

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/americas/7617873.stm

[bemildred]

4. I look forward to our State Department's thoughtful response to this statement.

:popcorn::popcorn:

[hvn_nbr_2]

8. Send in the CIA? With Blackwater backup? nt

[Mudoria]

5. Okay

:shrug:

[rwheeler31]

6. Thank you

[Judi Lynn]

7. Glad to see they made a formal statement. This should inform the Bush-supported oligarchy

they can forget trying to seize the reigns by overthrowing this landslide-elected government. From the article:

In a statement, the regional leaders offered "their full and firm support for the constitutional government of President Evo Morales, whose mandate was ratified by a big majority".

They warned that any government formed following an illegal removal of Mr Morales would not be recognised as legitimate.

[Judi Lynn]

9. South America Backing Morales Unanimously

09/16/2008 09:02 AM ID: 73413
South America Backing Morales Unanimously

The South American nations of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela have issued a statement following 6 hours of talks in Chile in support of Bolivia’s President Evo Morales and against the breakup of Bolivia.

The President of Argentina, Cristina Kirchner said after the meeting "the agreement was unanimous".

Morales has said that the governor of the rebellious eastern province where pro-government supporters were massacred earlier this week (SN Reported) will be charged with genocide for allegedly ordering the massacre.

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=73413

[Judi Lynn]

10. Bolivian unrest called attempted coup

Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - Page updated at 12:00 AM
Bolivian unrest called attempted coup

South American presidents met Monday hoping to prevent a political collapse in Bolivia, where the government planned to charge a rebellious eastern governor with genocide for allegedly ordering the machine-gunning of peasants.

Santiago, Chile

South American presidents met Monday hoping to prevent a political collapse in Bolivia, where the government planned to charge a rebellious eastern governor with genocide for allegedly ordering the machine-gunning of peasants.

Bolivia's leftist president, Evo Morales, arrived at the summit having effectively lost control of half of his country to protesters.

Morales accused the governors of Bolivia's lowland provinces of inciting a coup and "crimes against humanity by groups massacring the poorest of my country."

The governors want a bigger share of gas profits and want Morales to cancel a referendum on a new constitution.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008182203_wdig16.html

[Judi Lynn]

11. American leaders back Bolivia's Morales

Last Updated: Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 06:48S
American leaders back Bolivia's Morales

South American leaders told Bolivia's rebel governors to cease violent protests and strongly backed leftist president Evo Morales, who left an emergency summit in Chile and headed home today for talks with his opponents.

At least 16 people died last week in impoverished Bolivia as Mr Morales' opponents clashed with his supporters, blocked highways, sabotaged natural gas pipelines and sacked government buildings.

Mr Morales is popular but his push for deep socialist reforms has met with violent resistance from movements led by rightist governors in Bolivia's eastern lowlands. He accused the opposition of planning to topple him.

"We condemn and reject any attempt at a civilian coup or rupture of institutional order. We will not recognize any situation (leadership) that comes from that sort of action," Argentine president Cristina Fernandez said at the end of Monday's summit of nine South American presidents in Santiago.

More:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0916/breaking4.htm



3 months ago: South American leaders pose for an official photo at the South American Union of Nations (UNASUR) summit in Brasilia May 23, 2008. Leaders from 12 South American countries will attempt to overcome a series of recent regional spats and launch a long-sought regional union at a summit in Brasilia on Friday. Unasur, as the entity is called, is modeled after the European Union and intended to give the region more international clout and a platform for faster economic growth. (L-R) Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, Suriname's President Ronald Venetiaan, Paraguayan President-elect Fernando Lugo, Paraguay's President Nicanor Duarte Frutos, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Bolivia's President Evo Morales, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chile's President Michelle Bachelet, Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe, Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo,Peru's President Alan Garcia, Uruguay's Vice-President Rodolfo Nin Novoa.

[Hannah Bell]

12. CEPR: U.S. Should Disclose its Funding of Opposition Groups in Bolivia...

CEPR: U.S. Should Disclose its Funding of Opposition Groups in Bolivia and Other Latin American Countries

Published on Sep 12, 2008 - 12:17:19 PM

By: Center for Economic and Policy Research

WASHNGTON, D.C. Sept. 12, 2008 - The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) called on the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other agencies to release information detailing whom it is funding in Bolivia -- where violent right-wing opposition groups have wreaked havoc this week in a series of shootings, beatings, ransacking of offices, and sabotage of a natural gas pipeline -- as well as in other Latin American countries including Venezuela. Recent events suggest there may be evidence for Bolivian president Evo Morales' assertions that the U.S. Embassy is supporting groups promoting violence and seeking "autonomy" from Bolivia, and the Center called on USAID and other U.S. agencies to "come clean" in order to demonstrate the U.S. government's good faith.

"Washington has decided to keep its ties to Bolivia's opposition shrouded in secrecy, and that's not conducive to trust between the U.S. and Bolivian governments," said Mark Weisbrot, CEPR Co-Director. "If Washington has nothing to hide in terms of whom it is funding and working with in Bolivia, then it should reveal which groups those are."

http://yubanet.com/usa/CEPR-U-S-Should-Disclose-its-Funding-of-Opposition-Groups-in-Bolivia-and-Other-Latin-American-Countries.php

[Gillian]

13. The media seems to be making light of Morales´ coup claim.

The rest of SA is taking it seriously after seeing the facts.

[Judi Lynn]

14. Absolutely. Corporate media also completely kept Americans in the dark

concerning the bloodbaths, mass political murders by U.S. supported regimes in Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Venezuela, and its own direct misadventure in Panama under _{Bush #41,} etc., etc., etc.

They've always been there for the Dirty Wars, they're not about to turn now.