US plays down expulsions of diplomats in Latin America

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WASHINGTON, Sep 13(AFP): Washington tried Friday to play down its concerns in Latin America by attributing the expulsion of its envoys from Bolivia and Venezuela as a byproduct of domestic problems in those countries.
"We regret the actions of both President Hugo Chavez and President Evo Morales to expel our ambassadors in Venezuela and Bolivia," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.
"This reflects the weakness and desperation of these leaders as they face internal challenges, and an inability to communicate effectively internationally in order to build international support," he added.
In 48 hours, Bolivia and Venezuela expelled the US ambassadors from their capitals and the United States retaliatated with reciprocal steps against their envoys in Washington.
Morales accused the US ambassador in La Paz, Philip Goldberg, of promoting separatism in Bolivia where the governors of five of the nine provinces reject a new draft constitution which he hopes to put to a referendum.
The State Department replied the following day by ordering the expulsion of Gustavo Guzman, the Bolivian ambassador in Washington.
Hours later Chavez, the self-styled leader of the radical left in Latin America, ordered the expulsion of Patrick Duddy, the US ambassador in Caracas, in what he called an act of "solidarity" with Bolivia.
Chavez also alleged that his government had uncovered a coup plot hatched by active and retired military officers, which he said had tacit US approval.
He again threatened to suspend oil shipments to the United States, its main importer, if his government became the victim of US "aggression."
"The charges leveled against our fine ambassadors by the leaders of Bolivia and Venezuela are false, and the leaders of those countries know it," McCormack said after announcing the expulsion of Venezuela's ambassador in Washington, Bernardo Alvarez Herrera.