US funding Bolivian opposition: Morales
September 15, 2009 - PressTV

Bolivian President Evo Morales accuses Washington of funding the campaigns of his rivals to prevent his reelection in Bolivia's upcoming presidential election.

Morales took his accusations of subversion against the United States to new levels on Tuesday, claiming that his rivals in the December presidential election had received campaign funds from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

"I have information that USAID pays for my opponents' campaign," Morales said during an official visit to Madrid.

"I hope that the embassy is not again involved in political actions."

La Paz expelled the last American ambassador to the country, Philip Goldberg last September for conspiring against the national government. The move was copied by Washington, which declared the Bolivian envoy as a 'persona non grata' and called Goldberg's expulsion a 'grave error.'

"They are diplomats, diplomats do business for their country from the embassy and no political actions should be done from Bolivia," Morales added on Tuesday.

Upon his arrival in Spain, the Bolivian president accused the US of planning to stage coups in Latin America after Washington reached an agreement with Colombia allowing it access to seven military bases in the country.

Washington claims the deal will help Colombia counter-drug operations and support its fight against leftist rebels.

Bolivia has invariably been resistant to US assistance in its war on drugs and expelled the US Drug Enforcement Administration representatives following the US ambassador's expulsion.

Bolivia's anti-US attitude is shared by a number of other Latin American countries including Venezuela and Ecuador.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has presented a document from the US Air Mobility Command, which he claims shows Washington's future plans for the region.