Evo threatens to take “radical decisions” against provocative ambassadors

Bolpress, August 27

For president Evo Morales, patience is running out in regards to some ambassadors who “permanently provoke” his government. Although he did not explicitly use his name, the head of state was referring to the US ambassador, Philip Goldberg, who criticised Bolivia’s anti-narcotics policy and the growth of coca plantations.

“We have patience, I do not know how long this patience will last for, but we also have dignity and at any moment we will take radical decisions against those ambassadors who permanently provoke…. I am not at all afraid and you know that we have begun to regain our dignity at the international level”, commented Morales in the inauguration of the first coordination meeting of the ambassadors of Bolivia, held in the Foreign Ministry.

According to Evo, every since he was inaugurated, there have always been small groups who have tried to wear down the government with rumours of banks accounts being frozen, amongst other things.

Morales’ declaration came following the recent comments by vice president Alvaro Garcia Linera during the weekend on Radio New Homeland, where he denounced that part of the money for cooperation from the US was being invested into financing foundations and other opposition investigation organisation.

Today, Morales said that there are countries that have money to divide social organisations and hold seminars, out of which come proposals against the government: “That is not call cooperation: that is called conspiracy against the government”.

Morales asked that Bolivian diplomats convert themselves not only into servants of diplomacy, but also “revolutionary diplomats”.

Translated from Bolpress