Bolivia: ATPDEA suspension calls for new markets

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The US House of Representatives approved the extension of the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA) to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, despite demands by President George W. Bush that benefits to Bolivians be suspended.

The ATPDEA allows tax-free Bolivian exports into the US market. It is part of American incentives aimed at Andean nations cooperating in the war on drug trafficking.

Bush’s request to exclude any benefits to Bolivia came as a response to the expulsion of the US ambassador to La Paz, Philip Goldberg, at the summit of the institutional crisis, three weeks ago.

According to the local press, the benefits will be suspended regardless of the House approval. Sources from the US Embassy in La Paz said that the situation will not change unless the US president issues a resolution to the contrary. Faced with this imminent loss of economic benefits, the government headed by Evo Morales will probably intensify dialogue with Venezuela, Mexico and Brazil, which are all potential markets in the region.