Bolivian President Evo Morales Saturday accused the US antidrug agency of encouraging political unrest and suspended its operations in the Andean country until further notice, according to news from La Paz.
Bolivia's President Evo Morales speaks to the media during a news conference in San Salvador October 31, 2008. [Agencies]
"This is a personal decision," Morales said in a speech at a rally celebrating the government's eradication of 5,000 hectares of coca crops, the raw material for making cocaine, so far this year.
"From today, all the activities of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are suspended indefinitely," he said.
"We have the obligation to defend the dignity and sovereignty of the Bolivian people," the Bolivian leader said.
The DEA agents were carrying out political espionage and financing "criminal groups" who could launch attacks on the lives of government officials and even the president himself, Morales said, noting that the recent seizure of airports by mobs in the provinces of Santa Cruz, Panto, Beni and Tarija was planned and funded by them.
However, Karl Duckworth, a State Department spokesman in Washington said "We reject the accusation that DEA or any other part of the US government supported the opposition or conspired against the Bolivian government", according to a New York Times report.
Garrison Courtney, a spokesman for the drug agency, said they would find other ways to keep abreast of the drug-trafficking situation.
Relations between the two countries have been tensed up since Morales expelled the US ambassador on September 10. In response, the US government ordered the expulsion of the Bolivian ambassador the day after.
Recently, the US government has threatened to remove Bolivia from the list of the Andean countries which enjoy trade benefits, because of what Washington has described as its poor cooperation in fighting drug trafficking.
————————————————————————————————————
age of Conan gold
淘宝刷信誉
FFXI Gil
warhammer online gold
2moons dil
