America's nightmare wins election in Bolivia

[Pablo Escobar]

Bolivia's Morales blasts U.S. policies on drug trafficking

By BILL CORMIER

Tuesday, December 20, 2005 Page A22

Associated Press with a report from Reuters

LA PAZ -- South America's leftward tilt has gained momentum with the likely victory of Bolivian presidential candidate Evo Morales, the coca-farming Indian who calls himself "Washington's nightmare."

Mr. Morales, whose election is all but assured given his wide margin in Sunday's voting, takes guidance from the anti-American populist Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, and considers the Argentine revolutionary Ernesto (Che) Guevara his hero.

Mr. Morales, who vows to end a U.S. campaign against coca growing, stepped up his criticism of U.S. anti-drug policies yesterday, accusing Washington of using drug-fighting efforts to militarize the region.

In his first news conference since claiming victory, he insisted he is opposed to drugs, but disputed Washington's methods.

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"The fight against drug trafficking is a false pretext for the United States to install military bases, and we're not in agreement," he told reporters.

"We support an effective fight against drugs. Neither cocaine nor drug trafficking are part of the Bolivian culture," he said in his stronghold of Cochabamba, as the first official results from Sunday's vote trickled in.

Washington considers Mr. Morales, who first rose to power as the leader of the country's coca-leaf farmers, an enemy in its anti-drug fight in Bolivia, the third-biggest cocaine producer after Colombia and Peru.

Mr. Morales and Mr. Chavez, along with more moderate leftist presidents in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, have risen to power in part by appealing to their peoples' frustration with U.S. political, military and economic influence. Their success suggests how much goodwill the United States has lost in the region in recent years.

Despite their strident anti-U.S. rhetoric, these leaders are focused on big business. Setting aside some old grievances, they are expanding economic alliances, making energy deals, planning new roads and talking about a resurgent South America that delivers economic progress for its people, with little help from Washington.

The need is particularly dire in Bolivia, where the World Bank says 63 per cent of the 8.9 million inhabitants live in poverty. The IMF recently slashed its economic-growth forecast for the country because uncertainty about foreign investment has frozen development of natural-gas reserves.

Mr. Morales tried to reassure investors yesterday, saying that while Bolivia will assert ownership rights over its natural resources, "that does not mean confiscating or expropriating property of the multinationals."

[fagash_killer]

i see him as the next che chevara

long life the rovoluty

DEATH TO AMERICA