Bolivia's Morales says U.S. DEA bugged his phone

[Judi Lynn]

Bolivia's Morales says U.S. DEA bugged his phone
1 hr 13 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bolivia's left-wing president, Evo Morales, accused the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Wednesday of trying to tap his telephone conversations instead of going after cocaine traffickers.

Bolivian-U.S. relations have deteriorated in recent months since Morales expelled the U.S. ambassador in September, accusing him of inciting anti-government protests, and Washington blacklisted Bolivia for not cooperating in the war on drugs.

This month, Morales ejected DEA agents from operating in the world's third-largest cocaine-producing country, charging them with spying and maintaining ties with anti-government groups that staged violent protests in September. Washington denies the charge.

"We do not need DEA agents to control the president" of Bolivia, Morales said in an address to the Organization of American States in Washington. He accused the agency of trying to bug his telephone as well as that of the Bolivian vice president. Morales offered no details of the accusation.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081120/wl_nm/us_bolivia_usa_2

[Bacchus39]

1. like the thread in LBN, proof?? and Evo said he would provide

proof too.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Regarding Bolivian history regarding drug trafficking, which I posted in LBN,

organized trafficking was big bidness in Bolivia during the right-wing filthy a-hole dictators' time.

Take a moment to research, and the perfect starting point would be Klaus Barbi + Luis García Meza Tejada + cocaine. That will keep anyone busy for awhile. Fortunately, right-wing scum doesn't take time to do research itself, and insists on gluing itself to conversations among normal people, trying to interfere when they discuss it, in hope the constant struggle will wear out most people and they'll give up.

Here's information on Klaus Barbi, Nazi butcher from WWII who was protected in Bolivia, even worked in Bolivia's government himself:

Klaus Barbie
Department of Justice - FBI - Department of State
CIA - Counter Intelligence Corps Files

~snip~
Before Allied troops were able to liberate Lyon in September 1944, hundreds of French nationals who had first hand knowledge of his crimes were killed. Twenty double-agents who had infiltrated French Resistance were but to death. Barbie returned to Germany, where after the war he was recruited by the United States Counter-Intelligence Corps (CIC). It has been estimated that below his command 7,500 people were deported, and 4,342 were murdered.

From 1945 to 1955, he was protected and employed by British and then American intelligence agents. In 1952 and 1954, military tribunals in Lyon found Barbie guilty of torture, executions, deportations, and looting. Barbie was sentenced to death in absentia. With American help Barbie moved to Bolivia in 1955.

When French agents were on the trail of Barbie, the CIC contacted Dr. Krunoslav Draganovic, a Croatian priest who ran a "ratline" which helped hundreds of Nazi SS officers escape from Europe. Father Draganovic arranged papers and transportation for Barbie to flee from Germany to Italy and then to Argentina and Bolivia.

In 1971, Nazi hunters located Barbie in Bolivia, where he had become a drug lord. In 1980, while in Bolivia using the alias Klaus Altmann, Barbie took part in the "Cocaine Coup." Luis Garcia Meza Tejada gained power in 1980 as the result of the "Cocaine Coup" on July 17, 1980, with the backing of Barbie and Italian terrorist Stefano Delle Chiaie. His government ended in 1981. His regime became internationally known for its drug trafficking activities. He brutally repressed the opposition and some 1,000 people are estimated to have been killed by the Bolivian army and security forces during his period in office. The former president was sentenced to 30 years in prison for human rights violations.

In 1983, a Bolivian government was in power that was willing to deport Barbie to France. On May 11, 1987, Barbie went on trial in Lyon. On July 4, 1987, Barbie was sentenced to life for crimes against humanity. Klaus Barbie died of leukemia in prison on September 25, 1991.

More:
http://www.paperlessarchives.com/barbie.html

~~~~~~~~~
There wasn't a socialist anywhere near this nonsense.

Regarding Luis García Meza Tejada, his associate:

Luis García Meza Tejada (b. August 8, 1932, La Paz, Bolivia) is a former Bolivian dictator. A native of La Paz, he was a career military officer who rose to the rank of general during the reign of dictator Hugo Banzer (1971-78). García Meza became Dictator in 1980.

Life
García Meza gained power in 1980 as the result of the so-called Cocaine Coup of July 17, 1980. It resulted in dozens of deaths. The Argentinian army unit Batallón de Inteligencia 601 participated in the coup.

Of extremely conservative anti-communist persuasion, he endeavored to bring a Pinochet-style dictatorship that was intended to last 20 years. He immediately outlawed all political parties, exiled opposition leaders, repressed the unions, and muzzled the press. He was backed by former Nazi officer Klaus Barbie and Italian neofascist Stefano Delle Chiaie. Further collaboration came from other European neofascists, most notoriously Ernesto Milá Rodríguez (accused of the Paris synagogue bombing of 1980), who later spoke of the existence of a widespread neo-nazi underground society called Logia Thule (in his movie, My enemy's enemy, Kevin MacDonald speaks about a secret 4th Reich) in that country during the dictatorship interim<1> and confirmed Barbie's presence in the country once the dictatorship began and the Israeli military advisers were replaced by European right-wing militants. <2> Among other foreign collaborators were professional torturers allegedly imported from the notoriously repressive Argentine dictatorship of General Jorge Videla.

The García Meza regime, while brief (its original form ended in 1981), became internationally known for its extreme brutality. The population was repressed in ways as the Banzer dictatorship did. Indeed, some 1,000 people are estimated to have been killed by the Bolivian army and security forces in only 13 months. The administration's chief repressor was the Minister of Interior, Colonel Luis Arce, who cautioned that all Bolivians who may be opposed to the new order should "walk around with their written will under their arms."

The most prominent victim of the dictatorship was the congressman, politician, and gifted orator Marcelo Quiroga, murdered and "disappeared" soon after the coup. Quiroga had been the chief advocate of bringing to trial the former dictator, General Hugo Banzer (1971-78), for human right violations and economic mismanagement.

The García Meza government drug trafficking activities led to the complete isolation of the regime. The new, conservative U.S. President, Ronald Reagan, kept his distance. Eventually, the international outcry was sufficiently strong to force García Meza's resignation on August 3, 1981. He was succeeded by a less tainted but equally repressive general, Celso Torrelio.

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Garc%C3%ADa_Meza_Tejada

[Judi Lynn]

3. For general information, here's a list of the Bolivian drug traffickers with ties to the SOA.

This was taken from the School of the Americas Watch site:

Notorious Graduates from Bolivia

Miguel Alvarez Delgado, 1977 Joint Operations
Links to drug trafficking: Accused in the "Narconavales" case of
cashing checks that came from a drug-trafficking ring. The proceedings
against him were stayed in 1997. (Andean Information Network)

Luis Arce G?mez, 1958, Communications Officer; 1958, Tactical Officer,
Radio Repair
Armed insurrection (convicted), 1980: With Garcia Meza Tejada, Arce
G?mez plotted and executed a bloody coup, which occurred on July 17,
1980. (Garcia Meza became "president" and Arce G?mez minister of the
Interior.) Prior to the coup, Arce G?mez was in charge of assembling a
paramilitary force to overthrow the government. (One of his recruits was
Klaus Barbie.) (Americas Watch Report, Bolivia: The Trial of
Responsibilities: The Garcia Meza Tejada Trial, 1993)
Drug trafficking (convicted), 1989: Arce G?mez, who was declared a
fugitive from justice in 1986, was captured by
Bolivian police in 1989. With the approval of the Bolivian government,
he was handed over to the United States and is
currently serving a 30-year sentence in Miami for drug-trafficking.
(Americas Watch Report, Bolivia: The Trial of Responsibilities: The
Garcia Meza Tejada Trial, 1993)

GEN Hugo Banzer Su?rez, 1956, Motor Officer Course; 1988, SOA “Hall of
Fame”; 1989, Guest Speaker
Military dictator, 1971-78: Achieved power by means of a violent coup.
Developed the "Banzer Plan" to silence
outspoken members of the Church; the plan became a blueprint for
repression throughout Latin America. Also known for
sheltering Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie, "The Butcher of Lyons," and
for supporting and collaborating with Garcia
Meza's regime. (Americas Watch Report, Bolivia: The Trial of
Responsibilities: The Garcia Meza Tejada Trial, 1993; The Atlanta
Journal Constitution, 10/30/88)

Grover Bilbao Terrazas, 1967 Cadet Course
Drug-trafficking: Accused and sentenced in the "Narcoavion" case (1995)
as a drug supplier. (Andean Information Network)

Isaac Chavarria Diez de Medina, 1968 Cadet Course; 1970 Officer Gen.
Supply
Drug-trafficking: Primary defendant in the "Narcovinculos" case
(1994-6). Died in 1995 in a La Paz jail due to lack of medical
attention. (Andean Information Network)

GEN Mario Escobari Guerra, 1959, Engineer Officer Course
Issuing unconstitutional decrees (convicted) in cooperation with armed
insurrection, 1980: Convicted in April 1993
signing for unconstitutional decrees in cooperation with Garcia Meza.
(Bolivian Supreme Court Document: Sentencia Pronunciada en los
Juicios de Responsabilidad Seguidos por el Ministerio P?blico y
Coaduvantes Contra Luis Garcia Meza y sus Colaboradores, April 12, 1993)

Carlos Fernandez Gonzalez, 1961, Military Intelligence
Links to drug trafficking: Fernandez Gonzalez was relieved of his
position as Undersecretary of the Interior under the government of Lidia
Gueiler (1980) due to concrete evidence of his links to drug
trafficking. Later he regained his image and was named President of the
National Council for the Struggle Against Drug-Trafficking. However, in
1983, he was accused of involvement with the disappearance of 150 kilos
of cocaine. He also was relieved of his duties as head of the Special
Security Forces of the Ministry of Interior after he was accused of
covering up drug-trafficking. (Andean Information Network)

Ruben Dario Guzm?n Hurtado, 1970, Small Unit Warfare
Issuing unconstitutional decrees and fraud (convicted) in cooperation
with armed insurrection, 1980: Guzm?n
Hurtado was sentenced in April 1993 on charges related to Garcia Meza's
1980 coup. (Bolivian Supreme Court Document: Sentencia Pronunciada en
los Juicios de Responsabilidad Seguidos por el Ministerio P?blico y
Coaduvantes Contra Luis Garcia Meza y sus Colaboradores, April 12, 1993)

CPT Carlos Helguero Larrea, 1970, Small Unit Warfare
Armed insurrection (implicated), 1980: Implicated in cases of murder
committed in association with the Garcia Meza
coup in 1980. (Bolivian Supreme Court Document: Sentencia Pronunciada en
los Juicios de Responsabilidad Seguidos por el Ministerio P?blico y
Coaduvantes Contra Luis Garcia Meza y sus Colaboradores, April 12, 1993)

Pablo Oswaldo Justiniano Vaca, 1986, Comando y Estado Mayor
Drug trafficking: Primary defendant in the "Narconavales" case, accused
of running a drug trafficking ring in the Navy since 1975. Detained in
1995. Also implicated in the exchange of Brazilian tin for cocaine in
1989. (Andean Information Network).

CPT Tito Monta?o Belzu, 1970, Small Unit Warfare
Armed Insurrection, murder (convicted), 1980: Paramilitarist Monta?o
Belzu was sentenced (on April 21, 1993) to 30
years in prison for murder, and 20 years for genocide, in connection
with Garcia Meza's bloody 1980 coup. (Americas Watch Report, Bolivia:
The Trial of Responsibilities: The Garcia Meza Tejada Trial, 1993)

COL Avelino Rivero Parada, 1977, Joint Operations
Issuing unconstitutional decrees (convicted) in cooperation with armed
insurrection, 1980: Convicted in April 1993
for signing unconstitutional cooperation with Garcia Meza - Including
annulments of democratic elections, abnegation of
trade union rights, purging university teaching and administrative
staff, illegal purchases of land, vehicles and aircraft for
the armed forces, and dismissal and replacement of the Bolivian Supreme
Court. Rivero Parada was minister of public
health and social security under Garcia Meza. (Americas Watch Report,
Bolivia: The Trial of Responsibilities: The Garcia Meza Tejada Trial,
1993)

LTC Freddy Quiroga-Reque, 1980, Joint Operations Course
Armed insurrection, murder (convicted), 1980: Sentenced (on April 21,
1993) to 30 years in prison for murder in
connection with Garcia Meza's bloody 1980 coup (Americas Watch Report,
Bolivia: The Trial of Responsibilities: The Garcia Meza Tejada Trial,
1993)

Vice-Admiral Alberto Saenz Klinsky, 1973, "O-4"
Minister under Garcia Meza: Saenz Klinsky was a member of Garcia Meza's
second cabinet, but was never formally
charged with issuing unconstitutional decrees. (Americas Watch Report,
Bolivia: The Trial of Responsibilities: The Garcia Meza Tejada Trial,
1993)

GEN Guido Vildoso Calder?n, 1962, Infantry Weapons and Tactics
Military dictator, 1982: Achieved power by military appointment. (The
Washington Post, 5/19/94)

http://www.soaw.org/print_article.php?id=232

[Judi Lynn]

4. Obama's Latin America Policy Must Reflect 'New Reality'

Obama's Latin America Policy Must Reflect 'New Reality'
Christopher Moraff | 19 Nov 2008
World Politics Review

On the same day that American voters elected Barack Obama the 44th president of the United States, Bolivian President Evo Morales showed U.S. narcotics agents in his country the door. Morales gave the Drug Enforcement Agency three months to pack up and leave Bolivia, accusing DEA operatives of "political espionage" and inciting violence in the country.

The U.S. strongly denies the accusation. Yet the move is just one of a string of recent incidents that have capped nearly a decade of deteriorating relations between governments in Latin America and Washington under the Bush administration.

Rapid changes in the political makeup of the region have been met with a decidedly confrontational stance from Washington as across Latin America national electorates turned to the left. Meanwhile, rivals of the U.S. -- in particular Iran and Russia -- have been happy to step in and continue to make inroads at Washington's expense.

In a report this past May, the Council on Foreign Relations had already concluded that "the era of U.S. hegemony in Latin America" is over and that U.S. policy must reflect a "new reality" in the region. Now, with the election of Obama, the U.S. finds itself at a critical juncture in its foreign relations with its neighbors to the south. From La Paz to Havana, Mexico City to Santiago, all eyes are focused on the president-elect to see if America's new mandate of change will extend to its foreign policy in the region.

Critics of American policy say this will require unraveling a decades-long approach to the region that, according to Eric Hershberg, president of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), has been characterized by disinterest at best, and outright interference and disrespect for national sovereignty at worst.

More:
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/article.aspx?id=2939

[Bacchus39]

5. more from the article

But, he adds, reconciliation may face resistance in places where a perception of U.S. aggression still serves political purposes. "For Chávez, it's very convenient to have an imperialist devil to rail against on the global stage," said Hershberg, "But the cost of strained relations is real and so the desire for reconciliation needs to be real."

Chavez has said he would meet with Obama "on equal and respectful terms," but with the Venezuelan president struggling to maintain power amid increasing opposition, it's too early to tell how seriously he might pursue dialog with the new U.S. president.

For his part, Obama has pledged to reshape U.S. foreign policy, including towards Latin America. Among other things, the president-elect has indicated that he may be prepared to liberalize U.S. policy towards Cuba, and said he will roll back restrictions on travel and money transfers to the island nation imposed during Bush's first term. He has also expressed his opposition to a free trade agreement with Colombia based on that country's abysmal record of violence against trade unionists.

-------------------------

I would agree with most of the article, however; regarding opposition to the FTA with Colombia, I don't know how that fits into the article's point of improving overall relations with latin america. It certainly wouldn't appear to improve relations with Colombia. while Colombia is the scapegoat for anti-FTA sentiments, it still needs to be addressed on its own merits.