BOLIVIA'S LEFTWING CANDIDATE ALARMS WASHINGTON

Threat To Cut Aid If Coca Growers' Leader Becomes President

The United States government is actively intervening in Bolivia's choice of
new president next month, warning that US aid will be withdrawn if the
socialist Evo Morales is elected.

It is the latest in a series of recent interventions by the US in Latin
American elections in an attempt to keep leftwing politicians from power.

Congress will elect the president from the two leading candidates in the
elections earlier this month: Mr Morales and the rightwing ex-president,
Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada.

Otto Reich, the Cuban-American appointed by President George Bush as his
assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs, warned that
American aid to the country would be in danger if Mr Morales was chosen on
August 3.

Mr Morales is the leader of the country's coca growers and is opposed to
the coca eradication programme sponsored by the US as part of the "war on
drugs" on the continent.

"We do not believe we could have normal relations with someone who espouses
these kinds of policies," Mr Reich said on a visit to Buenos Aires.

The US ambassador to Bolivia, Manuel Rocha, had already issued a similar
warning, suggesting that if Mr Morales was elected US aid would be cut off.
"The Bolivian electorate must consider the consequences of choosing leaders
somehow connected with drug trafficking and terrorism," Mr Rocha said in a
speech last month.

But the comments appeared to infuriate Bolivians and enhanced the Mr
Morales's popularity. He called the ambassador his "best campaign chief".

Mr Reich has also been criticised for the way the US administration was
seen as giving the green light to the military coup in Venezuela in April
that would have removed the leftwing president, Hugo Chavez. Mr Chavez was
returned to power after 48 hours but is still thought to be in danger from
another possible coup attempt.

Last year the US intervened in the Nicaraguan elections, warning that if
the Sandinista leader, Daniel Ortega, won, there would be disastrous
financial consequences for the country. A US state department official,
Lino Gutierrez, visited the country to urge the conservative parties
running against Mr Ortega to bury their differences to defeat him. Mr
Ortega lost the election heavily, although the US intervention was far from
being the decisive factor.

Mr Reich is a controversial figure in Latin-American politics. Under Ronald
Reagan he was the head of the office of public diplomacy at the state
department and used his position to promote the cause of the contras in
their war against the Sandinistas.

In an investigation in 1987 by the comptroller general of the US he was
found to have abused his office, which had been engaged in "prohibited,
covert propaganda activities".

He was appointed to his current post despite strong opposition from
Democrats on the foreign relations committee.