A Crisis Highlights Divisions in Bolivia

[groovedaddy]

LA PAZ, Bolivia — President Evo Morales is facing the most acute crisis of his presidency as deaths from violence in rebellious northern Bolivia increased to almost 30 over the weekend. Supporters of Mr. Morales said Sunday that the death toll could rise with dozens of people caught up in the violence and still unaccounted for.

Relative calm returned to the northern department of Pando on Sunday after Mr. Morales declared martial law there and troops dispatched from La Paz seized the airport and other facilities in Cobija, the departmental capital. But the threat of unrest persisted in other parts of Bolivia, and political leaders in the tropical lowlands bordering on Brazil said they would resume protests if killings in Pando continued.

Mr. Morales said that the violence was a massacre carried out partly by “Peruvian and Brazilian mercenaries” hired by the governor of Pando, Leopoldo Fernández, who went into hiding to avoid arrest. In comments to a local radio station, Mr. Fernández denied that accusation, asserting that the deaths resulted from clashes between antigovernment protesters and the president’s supporters.

On Sunday, Juan Ramón Quintana, a top aide to Mr. Morales, told a local radio station that Mr. Fernández had been arrested, The Associated Press reported.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/world/americas/15bolivia.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

[bemildred]

1. Oh good, they caught him. nt

[Peace Patriot]

2. NYT incoherence...

"...political leaders in the tropical lowlands bordering on Brazil said they would resume protests if killings in Pando continued." --NYT

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The rightwing political leaders who called the protests, and whose thugs murdered as many as 30 peasant farmers in cold blood (also blew up a gas pipeline, trashed government buildings, beat up police and soldiers whom President Morales had ordered not to use their guns, and have been running rampant) are going to "resume protests" if the killings continue? From all reports, it is these "protests" by the rich white separatists of the eastern provinces that have unleashed the killers. Who will they be protesting--themselves?

[Peace Patriot]

3. There is an important meeting of UNASUR, today, called by Chile (whose president

holds the rotating chair) to address this crisis. Blessedly, the U.S.-Bush is not a member of UNASUR (the new South American "Common Market"), and cannot therefore directly undermine/sabotage the proceedings. They haven't been very successful at doing so to the OAS recently--cuz there are so many leftist governments--but they try. In fact, the U.S.-Bush may be why the OAS hasn't taken stronger action, which they should be doing in this crisis. The South Americans have had to take things to the Rio Group (U.S. not a member)--an informal Latin American crisis group--but now they have a more formal institution, UNASUR. What they do today is quite important. No one, so far, has been able to get through to these Bushite-funded and supported white separatists in Bolivia, to start talks and reach a compromise, and many have tried--the OAS, the Catholic bishops, Morales himself many times, and I'm pretty sure Brazil and Argentina (whose gas pipelines are being blown up). The night before last, however, Morales had an all-night meeting with a representative of the rebel governors, and some sort of basis for talks was established. Now USASUR will weigh in, with significant economic/political clout to bring to bear. One sabateur could be Colombia (member of UNASUR, Bush Cartel client state, which probably joined UNASUR to serve Bush Cartel interests). But Colombia is very isolated, and, with good unity among all the other governments (the rest of the continent, excepting maybe Peru), UNASUR can stop it cold. Actually, Brazil and Argentina could (Bolivia's chief gas customers), but it's better if the action is formal, unified and institutional. These white separatists, in landlocked Bolivia, surrounded by leftist democracies, are not going to get what they want (--they want total control of Bolivia's main resource and independent governments). They have disgraced their cause with these murders and riots, and they must be curtailed and prevented from trying to bludgeon the Morales government into submission. Evo Morales won nearly 68% of the vote in the recent national referendum on his presidency. Brazil, Argentina and all but one or two of the continent's leaders strongly support him. UNASUR is going to be a real test of whether they can act together.

[Peace Patriot]

4. "South American leaders support Morales in Bolivia unrest"

South American leaders support Morales in Bolivia unrest

6 hours ago 9/16/08

SANTIAGO (AFP) — South American presidents holding a crisis summit here over unrest in Bolivia issued a strong statement giving Bolivian President Evo Morales their support.

The statement late Monday agreed by Morales and the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela also rejected any break-up of Bolivia's territory.

The nine presidents in the Chilean capital Santiago expressed "their full and firm support for the constitutional government of President Evo Morales, whose mandate was ratified by a big majority."

Argentine President Cristina Kirchner said after the six hours of talks that "the agreement was unanimous."

She had called the summit under the auspices of the newly formed Union of South American Nations, which is currently presided over by Chile.

The leaders also said they were looking at creating a committee to attend talks between Morales's government and rebel governors in Bolivia's east opposing his socialist reforms. (MORE) (emphasis added)

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j56L-OPrluDuzSW9Fhk-WEJ16JtQ

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Their unanimity was important--also their initiation of talks, and their pledge to begin an investigation of the Pando massacre. I was worried that Colombia (Bush Cartel client state) would undermine UNASUR in this crisis.

This is a very important moment for the democracy movement in South America, especially regarding goals of Latin American self-determination and independence from U.S./Corpo dictation. They are bypassing the OAS--where the U.S. is a member--and setting up this new institution, the South American "Common Market" (UNASUR), where the U.S. is not a member. The OAS has been ineffective at addressing the crisis in Bolivia. To be fair, the Bush-supported white separatists in Bolivia have been intractable. Everyone has failed, to this point--the OAS, the Catholic bishops and many others--to get through to these crazies. But we should notice that an OAS meeting has not been called, and that may be precisely for the reason that the U.S. (Bush Cartel) is a member, and is a significant force, and guilty party, behind the white separatists. They instead called a meeting of UNASUR, and got unanimity on their declaration and on action.

This is UNASUR's first big project. Brazil and Argentina could probably shut down the white separatists, with their economic clout, but it's better that the matter be a cooperative effort, and formalized in the new institution. More crises may well come upon them, as the Bushites flame out. And, on the positive side, this crisis gives UNASUR the opportunity to show the world what peace and democracy look like. UNASUR is the future. U.S./Corpo domination is over in South America.