OAS promotes Bolivian government-oppostions talks

OAS lets the Government and prefects establish basis for a possible dialogue in Bolivia

La Paz, July 15 (ABI).- This Tuesday, Dante Caputo, Secretary for Political Affairs of the Organization of American States (OAS) let the Morales’ Administration and  the opposing prefects decide on  the process of dialogue beginning to overcome the Bolivian political crisis.

"I should not be interpreter of politicians, they by themselves should express their wills, so if the Government and the prefects want to start a process of talk and dialogue it would be welcome, but they have to decide it", Caputo said. Moreover, Caputo stated that was already in La Paz, Raul Alconada Sempe, Main Advisor of the Political Affairs Office of OAS whose job was to keep going ahead with meetings with the Government as well as the prefects to gather both sides’ criteria.

On Tuesday morning, Caputo met with Bolivian President Evo Morales to tell him that OAS will send a commission to check the repeal referendum, to be held on August 10.
Previously on Monday, Caputo had a meeting with prefect of Santa Cruz Ruben Costas, who denounced that the ruling party was preparing an electoral fraud for August 10.   Bolivia is plunged in a political crisis that face the new Bolivian Political Constitution, supported by Morales’ Administration with the autonomous statutes promoted by prefects of Santa Cruz, Pando Beni and Tarija, which already sanctioned their statutes through illegal referendums.

Poder Democrático y Social (PODEMOS Spanish initials) looking for coming back to the political arena, through the Senate, where this party has a majority, passed the law of repeal referendum presented by some regional leaders as a democratic exit to the crisis. President Morales welcomed that action and promulgated that law on May 12, setting August 10, as the date to be held the referendum. After several doubts, the prefects of Santa Cruz, Ruben Costas; Tarija, Mario Cossio; Beni Ernesto Suarez and Pando, Leopoldo Fernandez betraying one of their allies, prefect of Cochabamba, Manfred Reyes Villa, decided to submit to the repeal referendum.

Trying to stop the repeal referendum, Manfred Reyes Villa, on July 11, presented before the National Electoral Court (CNE Spanish initials) a resource to challenge the law of repeal referendum.This Monday, answering to that action, the Government started legal proceedings against Reyes Villa for th e supposed crime of sedition and non-fulfilment the country laws.

Jcch/Rq           ABI
Translation: Sonia Prado