Bolivia's Morales accuses US of Intimidation

La Paz
President Evo Morales on Monday accused the U.S. government of trying to intimidate Bolivia by announcing it would cut some aid because of a disagreement over the appointment of a military commander.

Bolivia's armed forces received a letter from U.S. officials saying the United States was cutting about half a million dollars in funding for Bolivia's anti-terrorist unit, Morales said in a speech.

"We cannot accept threats and intimidation of our armed forces," Morales said. "It's not possible that external forces come to change commanders and ministers."

Morales, who took office Jan. 22, called the U.S. aid "crumbs" used to "control Bolivia, to have intelligence agents."

The U.S. Embassy declined to comment and the specific nature of the U.S. objection to the commander wasn't immediately clear.

The Bolivian government released the letter sent March 3 by U.S. Army Col. Daniel Barreto, but it did not identify the commander in question.

"Due to a recent change in the unit commander ... the U.S. armed forces feel that our armies no longer share the same vision, making it necessary the de-certification of the Anti-Terrorist Force," Barreto wrote.

Morales, who was swept to power on a leftist platform and has long railed against American economic and drug policies, claimed during his campaign to be "the nightmare of the U.S. government." He has since toned down his rhetoric and met with U.S. Ambassador David Greenlee to discuss bilateral issues.

U.S. aid to Bolivia is roughly $150 million annually, the majority of which goes toward anti-drug efforts.