US behind Bolivia crisis - Chavez Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has blamed Washington's brand of capitalism for the recent troubles in Bolivia. Speaking on his weekly TV programme, he said US open market policies in Latin America had led to "exclusion, misery and destabilisation". He called President George W Bush's proposal for a regional free trade agreement a "medicine of death". Bolivia was brought to a virtual standstill by protesters calling for economic and constitutional reforms. "Look at Bolivia. Fortunately the Bolivians opened the door toward a peaceful path, but they were on the very of a civil war," said Mr Chavez. 'No, Mr Bush' Mr Chavez, an outspoken critic of Mr Bush's foreign policy, was responding to suggestions by some US officials that he was influencing the Bolivian protesters. During his seven-hour broadcast, he said Latin American countries were moving towards socialist economic models instead of US-style capitalism. He said Mr Bush's idea for a hemisphere-wide free trade zone, mooted last week at a meeting of the Organisation of American States in Florida, would lead to more poverty and protests in the region. "We say no Mr Bush, no sir...I'm sorry for you," he said. "The people of Latin America are saying 'no' to you, Mr Danger, they are saying no to your medicine. "Capitalism is the road to destabilisation, violence and war between brothers." Meeting The blockades in Bolivia starved the capital La Paz of fuel and food, and forced the resignation of President Carlos Mesa last Thursday. He was replaced by Eduardo Rodriguez, who on Sunday met representatives of the protesters, who have put their action on hold. They told Mr Rodriguez that they would maintain the truce if he agreed to demands to nationalise the natural gas industry and increase political representation for the country's Indian majority. http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/4086452.stm
