Mexico-Bolivia tiff heats up: AMLO a ‘cowardly thug,’ says ex-president

Police and military forces deployed to em­bassy accused of ha­rassing diplomatic staff.

A dispute between Mex­ico and Bolivia intensified this week after the federal government said it was ini­tiating legal action against the South American nation and a former Bolivian presi­dent called President López Obrador a “cowardly thug.”

Foreign Affairs Secre­tary Marcelo Ebrard said the government would file a complaint against Bolivia in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Neth­erlands, against a “siege” on the Mexican embassy in the Bolivian capital, La Paz. “We will present a com plaint before the Interna­tional Court of Justice so that the police and military siege on the headquarters of the embassy of Mexico in Bolivia is suspended. We demand respect for the Vienna Convention [on the Law of Treaties] . . .” he wrote on Twitter.

The government says the embassy in La Paz has been encircled by Boliv­ian forces since it gave refuge to nine former of­ficials from the govern­ment of ex-president Evo Morales, who resigned in November amid accusa­tions of electoral fraud and took up an offer of political asylum in Mexico only to leave the country for Argen­tina less than a month later.

The Mexican govern­ment says that drones have been flown over the embas­sy, more than 50 security force members have been deployed there and that its diplomatic staff, including the ambassador, have been intimidated and harassed.

The Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE) ac­­knowledged in a statement that it made a request to its Bolivian counterpart for the provision of security due to the unrest in the country that followed the disputed October 20 election, but asserted that the police re­sponse has been excessive.

“. . . The police opera­tion that Bolivian authori­ties have assembled is not only out of proportion but generates exactly the oppo­site of what the embassy re­quested: support to guaran­tee the security of the Mexi­can buildings, diplomatic personnel and the people under Mexican protection in La Paz,” the SRE said.

The department charged that Bolivia has violated the Vienna Convention by constantly filming its embassy and searching its diplomats’ vehicles.

Speaking at the presi­dent’s regular news confer­ence on Thursday, Ebrard said he hoped that the In­ternational Court of Justice would uphold Mexico’s right to grant asylum and have its embassy respected.

The “consensus of the international community” is on Mexico’s side, he said.

The foreign secre­tary said Mexico asked for safe conduct passes for the nine people in the embassy, among whom is Morales’ former chief of staff, but Bolivian authori­ties refused the request.

The government of the landlocked nation, led now by interim President Jeanine Áñez, has issued warrants for the arrest of four of the former officials, he said.

Standing alongside Eb­rard, President López Ob­rador said he hoped that no attempt would be made to force entry into the em­bassy, adding “not even [former Chilean dictator Augusto] Pinochet did that.”

A minister for the Boliv­ian presidency responded that the intention of his gov­ernment was in fact to pro­tect the Mexican embassy, stating that there are “sup­posedly groups who want to come down and take it.”

However, Yerko Nu­ñez added that the Boliv­ian government also wants “everyone who committed acts of terrorism and sedi­tion and sought to organize conflict to face justice.”

He asserted that the ex-officials in the embassy won’t be given safe passage.

In turn, Bolivian For­eign Minister Karen Lon­garic told reporters in La Paz that Mexico’s appeal to the International Court of Justice was a “mistake” and a “legal fallacy” and should be withdrawn.

She rejected the claims that Mexican diplomatic personnel have been intim­idated and that the police presence outside the em­bassy has been bolstered.

“No one can file a law­suit for unproven facts, no one can be sued for acts they have not com­mitted,” Longaric said.

“The government of [interim President Jeanine] Áñez is respectful of in­ternational treaties, of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations and, so national security forces would never enter a diplo­matic building without prior authorization,” she added.

Also on Thursday, for­mer Bolivian president Jorge Quiroga – now an interna­tional delegate for the gov­ernment of the interim pres­ident – launched a scathing attack on López Obrador.

“Mr. López Obrador, it’s time to speak clearly. You have clearly decided to be the godfather of the Latin American tyrants. You’re a cowardly thug . . . we’ve seen you kneel­ing down ashamed before [United States President Donald] Trump, who places demands on you, who forces you to deport Central Americans, who’s putting labor inspectors even in the bathroom of your apartment,” he told a press conference.

“You kneel down before Trump and you shamefully kneel down before Castro of Cuba and [President Nico­lás] Maduro of Ven­ezuela,” Quiroga added.

In granting asylum to Morales, López Ob­rador “gave shelter” to a person who commit­ted electoral fraud and is a “cocaine producer,” the ex-president said.

Quiroga also asserted that the Mexican president violated asylum conven­tions by allowing Morales to make political declarations while in Mexico that insti­gated violence in Bolivia.

“You have become a rogue with Bolivia. You confused our respect, our deference, with cowardice . . . Don’t come and bully the second female presi­dent of Bolivia . . .” he said. In response, López

Obrador told reporters at his Friday news confer­ence that he wouldn’t take Quiroga’s bait and “fall into provocation.” “We’re going to wait for this diplomatic mat­ter to be resolved. We’re not going to get hooked on tittle-tattle, it’s not up to our level,” he said. “. . . We’re going to con­tinue demanding that they [the Bolivian government] respect the sovereignty of our country that is repre­sented in the precinct of our embassy [in La Paz].” Source: El Univer­sal (sp), Animal Político (sp), Reuters (en), The Washington Post (en).