Bolivian president rips United States

[XXPANTHAXX]

Morales accuses U.S. government of trying to thwart his political
ambitions

He tells U.N. that privatization is the cause of the world's financial
crisis

He credits nationalization of Bolivia's petroleum industry as a boon to
economy

"Capitalism is the worst friend of humanity," he says

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Bolivian President Evo Morales on Tuesday said
the United States has tried to thwart his political ambitions and, more
recently, failed to condemn a pro-autonomy movement that uses
"terrorist" tactics.

The 48-year-old Morales, in an address to the United Nations General
Assembly, described privatization as the cause of the world's financial
crisis, and credited his nationalization of Bolivia's petroleum industry
as a boon to the nation's economy.

"In 2005, before I was president, the state of Bolivia had only $300
million from hydrocarbons," he said. "Last year, 2007, the Bolivian
state -- after the nationalization, after changing the law -- Bolivia
received $1,930 million. For a small country with nearly 10 million
inhabitants, this allows us to increase the national economy."

Morales, the nation's first indigenous president, cited "a permanent
conspiracy" among pro-autonomy, largely white groups in four eastern
petroleum-rich areas, or "departments," that oppose his efforts to
redistribute some of their wealth to poorer areas of the country.

He noted that he acceded to his critics' demands that he hold a
referendum on his popularity and was vindicated, winning it last month
with an overwhelming 67 percent of the vote.

The four eastern departments have gone on to hold their own referenda,
which Morales rejected as illegal. They also called for autonomy,
setting up roadblocks, attacking the national police, abducting federal
employees, seizing airports, seeking to interrupt the export of natural
gas through pipelines, and taking over state-run television stations and
community radio stations.

"When I was a little boy, during the time of military dictatorships, the
coups d'etat began when they took the state-run television channels," he
said. "History repeats itself. But thanks to the conscience of the
Bolivian people, they defeated the civil strike in Bolivia."

Though European and other Latin American countries supported the
Bolivian government in the face of the pro-autonomy movement, the United
States failed to condemn the acts of "terrorism" that the groups carried
out, said Morales, who expelled the U.S. ambassador in response.

Morales said he was not surprised at the U.S. response. He said that, as
a member of parliament in 2002, he was accused by the U.S. ambassador of
being a narcotrafficker and an assassin.

The rhetoric got worse, he said, with the ambassador calling him an
Andean bin Laden and his indigenous peasant supporters "Talibans."

"The U.S. ambassador said, 'Don't vote for Evo Morales. If you vote for
Evo Morales, there will be no international help or cooperation.'"

Morales said the United States was so entrenched in Bolivian politics
that, when he assumed the presidency in 2006, "We found a CIA office in
the palace." In addition, he said, a member of the U.S. military oversaw
the shipment of illegal arms to Bolivia and then said they were to be
used for training purposes.

Bolivia is not the sole target of U.S. government interference: The
United States works against any nations that reject the capitalist
model, he said.

"When one person works for equality, for social justice, he is
persecuted and conspired against by some groups. By groups not
interested in equality of humanity."

He added, "Here, it's the fight between rich and poor, capitalism versus
socialism ... capitalism is the worst friend of humanity."

Though there was no immediate response from Washington, U.S. officials
have denied Morales' assertions in the past.

[Sourakhata]

If only more Afrikan leaders could take example on the resistance & intransigence that indo-american leaders such as Morales & Chavez oppose to those greedy imperialist!