Strasbourg, 16/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - A man of conviction and the emblematic figure of the Movimiento al socialismo (MAS), which carried him to the presidency, Juan Evo Morales Ayma gave MEPs an explanation, on 15 May, of the road covered by his country since his election. He sought to convince them of the choices he has made regarding nationalisation or the production of coca. First received by the plenary and then by the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, the president of the Republic of Bolivia, speaking on Monday evening, urged for his country to be re-founded on a culture of inclusion and dialogue. “Do not be weak, do not lie - be strong”. It was with these words, a maxim going back to Evo Morales' ethnic origin, that the president of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell, welcomed him in the Parliament hemicycle, deserted by a large number of right-wing MEPs. And the Bolivian President hopes to live up to this maxim, swearing that “the best capital held by Evo Morales is honesty”. Mr Borrell told the president of Latin America's second poorest country, but one which has the second largest gas reserves, of the questions that have been raised on the recent nationalisation of the fossil fuel sector, in which many European companies have invested (Repsol or Total in particular). He went on to call on the Bolivian President to pursue cooperation with Europe in respect of rule of law (see also EUROPE 9192 on the subject of President Morales' speech at the EU/Latin American Summit in Vienna).
A spontaneous reaction to the social and political discrimination to which the natives have fallen victim, the former farmer and trade unionist said his political ascension had nothing to do with revenge. From a very humble family of the Aymara nation, historically excluded and enslaved, Mr Morales thus returned to the objectives of his programme, which focuses on the health and education of the poorest populations. During his first 110 days at the helm of the country, he has decided on a major literacy programme and also sought to convince that nationalisation of the oil resources is the right approach, and that it would be appropriate in other sectors also. “We have decided to take our natural resources in hand, whether they are renewable or not” in order to resolve our social and economic problems, he repeated, stressing: “We shall not be taking anyone's property away or expelling anyone”. The aim is to give control of this wealth back to the State, he added, stating that “any company that has invested in my country has the right to ask for its investment back”. These companies will be “partners, associates, but not the masters of our natural resources”, Mr Morales explained, denouncing the fact that “our resources are constantly plundered”. In Bolivia, “we have decided to refound our country” to put an end to the economic models that have brought hardly any advantages to the people, he said. “We are not proposing an armed struggle” but “we wish to launch a peaceful cultural democratic revolution avoiding all confrontation”. He went on to stress: “We all want peaceful security, but it is important that there is security at social level (…). When these natural resources can be shared by the Bolivian people as a whole, then this will be possible”.
Often doubted for his policy towards the production of coca leaves, a traditional crop in Bolivia, Mr Morales denied fostering the drugs trade and said he would assume his part of the responsibility in combating cocaine. “Coca leaves are not cocaine”, he continued, adding: “The government will never allow the free production of coca leaves” but rather foresees nationalising production. According to his policy, there should thus be a reduction in the crop per family as, to date, eradication policies with compensation have not been entirely successful. In the context of a more comprehensive approach to the problem, Mr Morales would also like to evoke the banking secret and “perhaps seek to control these banks” which are at the origin of the mixing of millions of dollars from drug traffickers.
Answering press questions on drugs, President Morales repeated that there is a “far-reaching fight” to be carried out. He recommended “zero tolerance when it comes to cocaine and trafficking” but recalled again that “coca leaves are the symbol of our identity”. He went on to assure that he wished to collaborate with the United States and the EU within a counter-drug alliance. In land matters, “I shall not restrict myself to a reform but I want a real revolution”, Mr Morales said, announcing that he will focus on the large properties that are not productive but which take over land without putting it to use. After fossil fuels and unproductive land, mining concessions - at least those which are not exploited and which have not received any investment - may follow, Mr Morales went on to suggest.
On the subject of relations with Europe, the president first of all welcomed the fact that EU aid has not been made subject to specific conditions. Returning from the EU/LAC Summit, Mr Morales said that this type of meeting could be improved. With feigned incredulity, he expressed surprise at discovering, on arriving in Vienna, that everything was already prepared and that nothing could be changed. A future summit should place greater emphasis on health and social issues, he said, before stating with emotion: “Heads of State do not always have the same thing in mind as their citizens do”.
Mr Morales did not, however, wish to comment on the fact that the benches normally occupied by certain political groups were empty during his speech. Commenting that the EPP-ED seats were nearly all unoccupied, Mr Borrell did, however, stress that the president of the group, Hans-Gert Pöttering, was present. He explained that this was surely a way for the EPP-ED to express its discontent following the Conference of Presidents' rejection of a motion calling for Mr Morales' invitation to be cancelled as his policy, they said, represented violation of human rights.
Speaking before the foreign affairs committee, where he was met by distrust from certain MEPs, Mr Morales took up a large number of the themes evoked in plenary, specifying certain directions taken. José Ignacio Salafranca (EPP-ED, Spain) mainly asked him to guarantee that contracts signed in the energy field would be respected. Mr Morales answered by saying that he had not come to call for 500 years of colonisation to be repaired. He considered he is showing tolerance by allowing companies 180 days in which to renegotiate and reach more balanced contracts. Welcoming the emphasis placed on social justice, Belgian Socialist Véronique de Keyser felt that his speech contained “real politics with a capital P”. Won over to the cause, the president of GUE-NGL, Francis Wurtz, told Mr Morales that “in substance as in form, your speech does you honour and will go down in the annals of the Parliament”. Philippe Morillon (ALDE, France) said he shared the “emotion of those who have heard a man whose personal commitment is obvious”. Speaking on behalf of the Party of European Socialists (PES), the party leader, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen of Denmark, described Mr Morales speech as “very wise”, although sounding a note of caution against counter-productive friendships. “You have many friends everywhere in the world, not just two”, he warned, alluding to the affinities between the Bolivian president and his counterparts from Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, and Cuba, Fidel Castro. This concern was shared by Monica Frassoni, Co-President of the Greens/EFA Group, who asks whether the alliance with Cuba can contribute to Bolivia's democratic development.