Bolivia rejects US warning on Iran ties
BOLIVIA: Bolivian President Evo Morales offered a testy retort Monday
to visiting US defence Chief Robert Gates's warning against nuclear
dealings with Iran, saying Bolivia will ally with whomever it wants.
"Nobody will stop me" from negotiating with any country, Morales said
at the opening of a biannual conference of regional defense ministers
attended by Gates. "Bolivia, under my leadership, will have agreements
and alliances with everyone," the leftist leader added. "We have the
right, and we have a culture of dialogue." Morales, who has signed
several political and economic deals with Tehran and has tense relations
with Washington, announced late last month that Bolivia has plans to
build a nuclear plant with Iran's help, stressing the facility would be
for peaceful purposes.
Upon his arrival in Bolivia on Sunday, Gates cautioned against the
motives of Tehran, which the international community suspects is seeking
to develop nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian nuclear program,
despite Iranian denials.
"I'm not sure the Iranians have an independent capability to help
somebody build a civil nuclear capability. Their own capability has been
under contract with the Russians" for 20 years, Gates said.
"I don't really know what the Iranians are up to, to really tell you
the truth," he said. The US embassy in Bolivia expressed disappointment
with Morales' remarks. "We regret that the Bolivian government missed a
chance to make progress on key issues before the meeting," the US
embassy said in a statement.
Morales has visited Iran twice in as many years, while Iran's Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad travelled to Bolivia in 2007 for the first visit by an
Iranian president. Under Ahmadinejad, the Islamic republic has
strengthened diplomatic ties with Latin America, and with Bolivia,
Brazil, Nicaragua and Venezuela in particular.
Gates was due later Monday to address the conference, which is
expected to address defense budgeting, disaster response and
transparency in arms sales.
Santa Cruz,tuesday, AFP
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