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                              Bolivia Expels USAID

   by VOA News

   Bolivian President Evo Morales says he is expelling the U.S. Agency for
   International Development, accusing it of interfering in his country's
   internal affairs.
   Morales said Wednesday during a May Day speech in La Paz that the
   United States no longer will "manipulate" the Bolivian economy and its
   politics.
   In 2008, he threw out the U.S. ambassador and officials from the Drug
   Enforcement Agency.
   State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said the U.S. deeply
   regrets Wednesday's expulsions. He called allegations of political
   interference in Bolivia baseless. He said those who will suffer will be
   Bolivian citizens, who he said benefit from USAID's work on health,
   education and the environment.
   USAID has operated in Bolivia since 1964. It has spent nearly $2
   billion there over the past 50 years.
   U.S. relations with Bolivia have been cool since Morales' leftist
   government took power in 2006. He has nationalized several
   Western-owned companies. Bolivia also is a major coca producer. The
   crop not only is the key ingredient in cocaine, but also sustains
   indigenous farmers and is used for non-drug related purposes.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/bolivia-expels-usaid/1652808.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/bolivia-expels-usaid/1652808.html