Bolivia tells US ambassador to leave country
Bolivian president Evo Morales expels US ambassador to the country amid accusations he supported opposition groups
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By inthenews. |  |
Thursday, 11, Sep 2008 01:47
The president of Bolivia has expelled the country's US ambassador and accused him of supporting opposition groups.
Evo Morales declared veteran diplomat Philip Goldberg "persona non grata" and asked Bolivia's foreign minister to instruct him to leave the country within 72 hours.
The move comes after Mr Goldberg reportedly met with governors aligned against the leftist president.
Mr Morales – the country's first Indian president – wants to redistribute land to Bolivia's indigenous population, a move blocked by five of the country's nine governors.
"The ambassador of the United States is conspiring against democracy and wants Bolivia to break apart," Mr Morales, an ally of Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez, said on the steps of his official residence.
"Without fear of the empire [the US], I declare the US ambassador persona non grata.
"We don't want separatists, divisionists."
Washington, which supplies millions of dollars to La Paz – South America's poorest country – to combat the drugs trade, has warned that the move could do "serious damage" to relations between the world's countries.