Bolivia enters into diplomatic row with Spain

>>LA PAZ: Bolivia on Friday slammed its former colonial ruler Spain for allegedly “trampling” its sovereignty in a deepening diplomatic row.

The two countries have been in a spiralling spat since Mexico granted asylum to Bolivian ex-president Evo Morales, who resigned on Nov 10 in the face of mass protests, and granted refuge to top officials from his leftist government at its embassy.

Police on Thursday stopped the entry of vehicles carrying hooded Spanish personnel from entering the embassy in La Paz, which has become the centre of a diplomatic row after the embassy sheltered some 20 officials from the former government, Foreign Minister Karen Longaric said.

She did not say if Bolivia had derailed what could have been an attempted breakout of the Bolivian officials.

“Spanish embassy diplomatic and security staff in Bolivia are not authorised to carry firearms or wear attire that conceals their identity,” she said, stressing “these acts contravene diplomatic practices.”

Since Spain “abused the [diplomatic] privileges it has” under the Vienna Convention, Bolivia sent a letter to the Spanish Foreign Ministry to report the “serious trampling of Bolivia’s sovereignty.”

The diplomatic letter would be sent to the European Union and United Nations, Ms Longaric said.

Mexico accuses Bolivia’s new interim government of responding with a campaign of “harassment and intimidation” by deploying a large contingent of police and intelligence officers outside the embassy. That move, according to Mexico, violates the 1961 Vienna Convention on the protected status of diplomatic missions.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has said his staff would file a complaint with the International Court of Justice in the Hague. Since rightwing interim president Jeanine Anez took over from Mr Morales, the Bolivian authorities have issued arrest warrants for four of the ex-officials inside the Mexican embassy.