A DUBIOUS GIFT

The U.S. ambassador to Bolivia may receive an unwelcome gift from a
Bolivian presidential candidate who chews coca leaves on the campaign trail
and opposes U.S. efforts to eradicate the raw product used to make cocaine.

"I will send him a little coca leaf as a gift," Evo Morales said in a
Bolivian newspaper interview.

Ambassador Manuel Rocha is unlikely to accept the present. He has warned
Bolivians that U.S.-Bolivian relations could be harmed if Mr. Morales
becomes president.

Last week, Mr. Morales was running third in the vote count from the June 30
election. Because no candidate received a majority of the vote, the
Bolivian Congress is expected to choose a president by Aug. 3.