BOLIVIA: Bolivian president Evo Morales called yesterday for urgent talks with regional leaders to ease divisions over mounting demands for autonomy, but some said they were not yet ready for negotiations.
Bolivia's richest region of Santa Cruz voted heavily in favour of autonomy from central government on Sunday and the leaders of at least three other regions said they will not meet Mr Morales until they hold similar votes over the next two months. The eastern lowland regions of Tarija, Beni and Pando plan referendums before the end of June.
The votes could strengthen the autonomy movement and increase conflict with the western highlands where Mr Morales, a leftist and Bolivia's first indigenous president, has his support base.
"This Bolivian family cannot be divided," Mr Morales said in Santa Cruz. "Autonomy must be for all Bolivians, with social justice, not autonomy just for groups." The president, who has said the referendums are illegal, asked for all of Bolivia's nine regional governors to meet him on Monday to avoid further division.
But opposition leaders say they will only attend talks if the government gives a clear signal that it will respect the autonomy votes.
"We are of the position that dialogue must come after the Tarija referendum," said Reynaldo Bayard, a business leader and supporter of autonomy in Tarija.
The referendums are widely seen as a rejection of Mr Morales' left-wing policies, particularly his goal of redistributing lands to Bolivia's poor, indigenous majority.