Nothing stays quiet in this sector of the globe for long. According to the Associated Press, President Hugo Chávez announced on Thursday that Venezuela would not tolerate a secession movement in Bolivia’s eastern lowland states. This follows the referendum held in that country’s Santa Cruz state on Sunday which produced a result overwhelmingly in favour of autonomy (not secession). Exactly what Mr Chávez would do about any secessionist movement should one surface, was not revealed; however both he and President Correa of Ecuador expressed concerns about the “contagion” spreading to their countries. In the case of Ecuador this would be a reference to the wealthy province of Guyas and its capital Guayaquil, while for Venezuela it would be Zulia state, currently administered by Governor Manuel Rosales of the opposition.
In his column last week Andres Oppenheimer said that in an interview with the Governor of Santa Cruz, the latter had insisted that the issue was not independence but greater autonomy within the framework of the Bolivian state. However, the Presidents of Venezuela and Ecuador have painted an altogether more lurid picture. According to the IPS, Mr Correa said last week: “Don’t let yourselves be fooled. What is happening in Bolivia is not an isolated development. It has the support of foreign countries that want to destabilize the region…”
