Bolivia expels U.S. diplomat for 'conspiracy'

[EFerrari]

Bolivia expels U.S. diplomat for 'conspiracy'
Agence France-Presse
Published: Monday, March 09, 2009

LA PAZ - Bolivian President Evo Morales on Monday ordered the expulsion of a senior U.S. diplomat in the country, accusing him of participating in a "conspiracy" against Bolivia's far-left government.

Francisco Martinez, the second secretary of the U.S. Embassy in La Paz, was "persona non grata," Morales said in a public address at his official palace.


Martinez, he said, "was in permanent contact with opposition groups during the entire period of the conspiracy," which he said caused anti-government unrest that rocked much of the country in September 2008.

Morales already ordered out the U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, Philip Goldberg, last September for the same reason.

http://www.globaltv.com/globaltv/regina/story.html?id=1370622

[Judi Lynn]

1. This was one of the operatives doing some very dirty work in Bolivia!

From the article:

The Bolivian president accused Martinez, a U.S. citizen of Mexican descent, of communicating with former Bolivian police officers suspected of trying to undermine Morales's nationalization of the country's energy sector.

Government officials say one ex-officer, Rodrigo Carrasco, a former official in the police intelligence unit COPES, had infiltrated the state oil and gas company YPFB with the aim of countering the nationalization push.

The U.S. Embassy in La Paz did not respond to requests for comment on Martinez's expulsion. Diplomats said the U.S. State Department in Washington would give any official reaction.

Good for Morales. These scums go back for decades, as discussed by former "economic hitman" John Perkins, who at least had the self-respect to walk away from this treachery, wash his hands of it, and tell the world what they've been doing to subvert other countries, overturn and disrespect their elections, and assassinate their elected leaders.

Remember it wasn't that long ago Rafael Correa had to remove some similar provocateurs working within his own government for _Bush's administration, and Hugo Chavez sent some back, too. Sure glad they're starting to put their feet down NOW, as soon as they get the goods on these a-holes. Shouldn't let them linger a moment longer once they know the truth about them. They're lucky to get out alive!

[EFerrari]

2. The cockroaches must really be scrambling right now

ahead of Obama's new policy statements. It's so good to see Morales follow through.

[Judi Lynn]

3. AP spin: Bolivia expels US diplomat, alleging conspiracy

Mar 9, 5:28 PM EDT
Bolivia expels US diplomat, alleging conspiracy

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) -- President Evo Morales on Monday ordered a U.S. diplomat to leave Bolivia for allegedly conspiring with opposition groups, further straining tense relations six months after he expelled the American ambassador.

The leftist leader said investigations determined the U.S. Embassy's second secretary, Francisco Martinez, "was in permanent contact with opposition groups."

The U.S. State Department called the Bolivian move "unwarranted and unjustified."

"We reject the allegations," it said in a statement in Washington D.C.

Martinez was a career diplomat focused on political affairs, said a U.S. Embassy official who was not authorized to discuss the expulsion and thus spoke on condition of anonymity.

Last week, Morales publicly accused Martinez of "coordinating contacts" with a former Bolivian police captain he accused of infiltrating the state energy company, Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos, on behalf of the CIA.

More:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_BOLIVIA_US?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-03-09-15-21-26

[Bacchus39]

5. the head of the state oil company, an ally of Morales, was arrested on corruption charges

Evo is looking for a scapegoat.

[rabs]

4. Evo keeps on being a tough cop ...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_J2xZmFbVGSI/SbVw2a6VFJI/AAAAA... -

A young Evo Morales when he was doing his compulsory military service as a military police.

Found the foto while looking for info on "career diplomat Francisco Martinez." Did not find anything on him.

[Judi Lynn]

7. For some reason that link isn't working now. I've seen this goofy link happen before. Here's

a photo I found when I put in a search for Evo Morales Army, trying to see if something turned up.

http://www.lanuevacuba.com.nyud.net:8090/graficas/evo-morales-b.jpg

What???? He looks so damned DIFFERENT! I guess they made him keep his hair short. That would have been many years ago. He didn't look as if he'd had so many life experiences at that point, did he?

[rabs]

6. Martinez left Bolivia today

on an American Airlines plane that left El Alto airport outside La Paz.

The commercial attache is now the highest-ranking diplomat at the Embassy of the United States of America. My, how things have changed in La Paz. :rofl:

Like Peace Patriot, I was unable to find anything on this guy.

On other topic, Evo is in the news again today. He has asked the United Nations to legalize cultivation of coca for internal consumption by the natives of Bolivia. Morales was in Vienna at a U.N. conference on illegal drugs and took the podium chewing on a coca leaf. :rofl:

[Judi Lynn]

8. Too rare! I'll bet THAT'S never been done before. It reminiscent of the time he gave Condoleeza Rice

a charango embellished with coca leaves as a wreath around the face of it:

http://www.evomorales.net.nyud.net:8090/imagenes/RiceEvoCharango.jpg http://netzoo.net.nyud.net:8090/wp-content/themes/akhdian/images/ricecoca.jpg

As an accomplished pianist, she just may have figured out
how to play the charango too, before she left.

Good for HIM. Excellent. They've been doing that thousands of years in Bolivia, long before some idiot decided to alter the product to make cocaine for clowns in the U.S. and Europe.

Great story. Didn't know he did this. Thanks. :woohoo: