OAS General Assembly passes declaration on Bolivia

The General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) on Tuesday passed a declaration on the situation of Bolivia as its closed its three- day meetings here in the southern US State of Florida.

The declaration regretted the exacerbation of the political crisis in Bolivia, which has resulted in President Carlos Mesa's tendering his resignation, and expressed "the need for the resignation of the president of Bolivia to be considered in terms of the statutory channels established in the country's Constitution."

The declaration called upon Bolivian political parties "to surmount the present crisis promptly, through dialogue, in a peaceful fashion, and with respect for human rights, in accordance with applicable constitutional provisions, preserving democracy and guaranteeing the unity of Bolivia."

Moreover, the declaration also expressed the readiness of the OAS "to provide all cooperation that may be requested by the legitimate Bolivian authorities to facilitate dialogue as a means of surmounting the crisis and guaranteeing the preservation of democratic institutions."

Bolivian President Carlos Mesa submitted his resignation late Monday to Congress after mass anti-government protesters paralyzed the country's capital of La Paz.

"It is my responsibility to say that this is as far as it can go." Mesa said on national television. "I have taken the decision to present my resignation from the presidency."

For several weeks, the protesters are demanding nationalization of the country's natural gas sector. Bolivia has the second- largest gas reserves in South America, after Venezuela. The long- term crisis over the gas issue has already forced Mesa's predecessor, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, to step down 20 months ago.

Source: Xinhua