To my knowledge, this developing story currently appears only on the pages of Havana-based Prensa Latina and it has serious implications about a new wave of U.S. intervention throughout Latin America.

According to Prensa Latina, Bolivian commando forces backed by the U.S. Embassy and the C.I.A. have recently seized a cache of missiles supplied by China in 1993, drawing sharp criticism from Presidential Candidate Evo Morales.

Morales, an indigenous leader who is in a tight race for the Presidential elections scheduled for December, but hampered by recent, controversial redistricting initiatives is asserting that the seizure is a provocation, and may lead to accusations of treason on the part of any Bolivian officials involved.

This situation could further destabilize the tenuous elections – recent polls suggest Morales and the MAS (Movement Towards Socialism) are frontrunners, a prospect that probably doesn’t thrill the Bush Administration. Keep a close eye on how the U.S. media spins this story, if and when it is reported.

Note: Links to the original articles at PLenglish have given me trouble in the past, so I’ve linked to Prensa Latina’s hompage (it loads very slowly, so be patient). Here are the links to the original articles:

MAS Denounces Serious US Interference in Bolivia

Doubts Persist on Removal of Missiles from Bolivia

[Posted By OCoileain]

_______________________________________________

By Prensa Latina Staffwriters
Republished from Prensa Latina

US Military Operation in Bolivia Draws Sharp Criticism

MAS Denounces Serious US Interference in Bolivia

La Paz, Oct 19 (Prensa Latina) Bolivian presidential candidate Evo Morales denounced Wednesday that troops at the service of the US seized 28 land-air missiles supplied by China to Bolivia and sent them to the United States.

In his news conference, Morales said that “patriotic soldiers” who opposed the operation that took place a few days ago reported the despicable interference to his political party, Movement towards Socialism (MAS).

Consulted by phone, presidential spokesman Julio Pemintel refused to comment and said he had requested information on the matter from Defense Minister Gonzalo Molina.

Morales explained that a Bolivian commando force commanded by elements from the US Embassy and the CIA were involved in the seizure.

He denounced that the group raided an army facility in Viacha, near La Paz, where the missiles were seized and taken to the airport or to El Alto military base, and then were smuggled out of the country by air, supposedly bound for the US.

The weapons had been provided to Bolivia by the People’s Republic of China, in accord with bilateral military cooperation agreements.

The MAS presidential candidate considered it unacceptable to ride roughshod over a country’s dignity and, as a former soldier, he protested the outrage and illegality of a military operation conducted by foreigners in the national territory.

He added that MAS members in Congress have requested that Minister Molina answer questions in the House, and this could lead to a trial for treason against those responsible, including officials and military officers who Okayed the operation.

The progressive leader revealed that the information was provided to MAS by patriotic officers who tried to oppose, but finally had to accept, the action under military discipline.

Asked to present evidence of his allegations, Morales said that during congressional questioning, the Minister of Defense will have to prove that the missiles are where they belong.

In remarks to Prensa Latina, military analyst Juan Ramon Quintana deemed the version credible and said that if the allegation is proven, it would be the most serious, outrageous foreign interference in the history of Bolivia, and the country would have lost the small amount of sovereignty it had left.

Doubts Persist on Removal of Missiles from Bolivia

La Paz, Oct 20 (PL) Despite the Bolivian Army chief´s assertions that withdrawing 28 land-air missiles from the Armed Forces with US participation was legal, doubts persist about the affair.

Military experts, who asked not to be identified, denied Gen. Marcelo Antezana´s assertion that the missiles were obsolete, and maintain that the weapons are similar to those used in present conflicts, including by US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and were the only ones of this type to defend Bolivian airspace.

Presidential candidate Evo Morales, of MAS (Movimiento al Socialismo), Evo Morales, declared he had been informed by patriotic soldiers about the removal of the missiles by air to the United States on October 2, in what he denounces was an illegal operation with US troops in violation of national sovereignty and dignity.

The missiles were supplied by the People’s Republic of China in 1993, with other materiel at a cost of four and a half billion dollars, which still has not been paid.

MAS has demanded clarification of the case from Defense Minister Gonzalo Mendez, who met Wednesday with Antezana and President Eduardo Rodriguez before the general’s press conference.

Morales declared this could result in an eventual treason trial against the president in his condition as Captain General of the Armed Forces, whose approval should have been necessary for withdrawing the missiles.

Evo Morales said the operation directed by the US Embassy is a provocation and threat against MAS, which leads the polls for the December elections.

Bolivia’s major union (COB) leader, Jaime Solares, went further, warning of the danger of a military coup to prevent progress of social forces.

A few days ago news commentator Amalia Pando revealed premature changes in army units and staffing, which she said was worrying given the serious national-political situation.

Gen. Antezana denied anything unusual with the replacements of officers in Cochabamba and southern Santa Cruz before the traditional end of year modifications.