Obama condemns Evo Morales assassination plots

international | crime and justice | other press Monday April 20, 2009 14:33 by Quantum of Solace subplot

In the last week considerable Irish attention and media speculation has been given to the reported 7th assassination of Evo Morales plot since he was democratically elected president of Bolivia, a state with which Ireland shares no embassy. When a young Irish man died in the company of his friend, a war veteran of the Balkan conflict, in a Bolivian hotel the president of Bolivia was out of that state preparing to meet with Barack Obama. For the first time an assassination plot against Morales sparked no comment from his friend and ally Hugo Chavez. Curiously, because after the first reported plot Venezuelan had offered all intelligence assistance to the Andean government to protect it from its many perceived enemies. Instead Chavez presented Obama with a book on CIA black operations in Latin America which has since become a best seller. Today Obama has specifically condemned all assassination plots and attempts to overthrow the Morales government.

it's a good read. highly recommended.

Last week the book Las venas abiertas de América Latina (The open veins of Latin America) by Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano had only sold 60,280 copies. First published in 1971 the book is considered a classic text of the left in Latin America. Today it is number ten on the Amazon lists. We have no idea if Mr Obama will find the time to read the book which details that part of the last half century's meddling by US secret services in the affairs of South America, inteference which ranged from the relatively well known Condor Operation with its component military rightist dictatorships before even the more familiar regime of Pinochet and the more recent funding of far right paramilitarised drug cartels had come into being. But it might be worth noting that spokespersons at the White House have told media in the USA, that President Obama had recieved a book which detailed " the base of dependence of the southern hemisphere on its northern neighbour

Nevertheless today's statement by Obama ought be read by all on the Irish left.

In the case of Bolivia, I wish to make it clear that I am opposed to and condemn any forceful attempt to violently undermine democratically elected governments no matter where they occur in the hemisphere. It is not the policy of our government, it is not the way which Americans expect us to behave. The United States has a history in the regin which has not always been appreciated by some, but what we need to do is continue advancing, and I am responsible for how this government acts and we will be respectful of those democratically elected governments even though we might have differences [of opinion]

Meanwhile the Secretary General of the Organisation of the Americas,whose 5th congress is being celebrated in Trinidad, José Miguel Insulza, has described the recent alledged plot to undermine the Bolivian government and support far right seperatism as being "of the most grave nature".

http://www.univision.com/contentroot/wirefeeds/50notici....html
http://www.milenio.com/node/201510