This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/30/bolivia-president-jeanine-anez-mexican-ambassador

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Bolivia: interim leader expels Mexican ambassador and two Spanish diplomats Spain orders Bolivian trio to leave as diplomatic row deepens
(about 2 hours later)
Jeanine Añez escalates diplomatic row after accusing Spanish embassy staff of trying to help extract ex-Morales aide Spanish government in tit-for-tat retort after Jeanine Añez said she would expel diplomats over alleged plan to extract former Morales aide
Bolivia’s interim president, Jeanine Añez, has announced that the country will expel Mexico’s ambassador and two Spanish diplomats, escalating a diplomatic row over an alleged attempt to extract an ex-government aide. The Spanish government has declared three Bolivian diplomats “personae non gratae” in a tit-for-tat move as a diplomatic spat deepened with Madrid’s former colony.
“The constitutional government that I preside over has decided to declare persona non grata the ambassador of Mexico in Bolivia, Maria Teresa Mercado, the charge d’affaires of Spain, Cristina Borreguero, and the (Spanish) consul, Alvaro Fernandez,” Añez said on Monday. The move on Monday came after Bolivia’s interim president, Jeanine Añez, said La Paz would expel Mexico’s ambassador and two Spanish diplomats over an alleged attempt to extract an ex-government aide to former Bolivian leader Evo Morales.
The announcement came after Bolivia accused Spanish embassy staff of trying to infiltrate the Mexican mission in La Paz with a group of masked men to extract a wanted former aide of ex-president Evo Morales, which Madrid sharply denied. The socialist government of Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez said the three diplomats had 72 hours to leave the country.
Morales – who resigned in November after weeks of protests over his controversial re-election – stands accused of sedition and terrorism and is living in exile in Argentina. Hours earlier, Anez stated: “The constitutional government that I preside over has decided to declare persona non grata the ambassador of Mexico in Bolivia, Maria Teresa Mercado, the charge d’affaires of Spain, Cristina Borreguero, and the (Spanish) consul, Alvaro Fernandez.”
The Mexican embassy in La Paz became the center of the diplomatic row after it sheltered nine or more officials from Morales’s former government. She accused the diplomats of having “seriously harmed the sovereignty and dignity of the people and the constitutional government of Bolivia” and likewise gave them 72 hours to depart.
Mexico’s foreign ministry denounced what it termed a “political” decision.
Bolivia has accused Spanish embassy staff of trying to infiltrate the Mexican mission in La Paz with masked men to extract the former aide to Morales – who resigned in November after weeks of protests over his controversial re-election and is now in Argentinian exile.
Madrid categorically denied the claim, saying its riposte was a reaction to “a hostile gesture by the Bolivian government to declare two Spanish diplomats personae non gratae.
“Spain categorically rejects any insinuation of presumed willingness to interfere in Bolivia’s internal political affairs,” the government statement read, warning the spat threatened to damage relations by propagating “false” conspiracy theories.
“Spain wishes to maintain close relations of friendship and solidarity with the country and brother people of Bolivia,” Madrid concluded, urging La Paz to return to a “common sense path of confidence and cooperation between our two countries.”
Arturo Murillo, the interior minister in Anez’s transitional government, said on Saturday he believed an attempt had been made to extract Juan Ramon Quintana, the former right-hand man to Morales and who is sought by Bolivian authorities.
Both Spain and Mexico said the incident occurred on Friday when Borreguero paid a brief visit to Mexico’s ambassador.Both Spain and Mexico said the incident occurred on Friday when Borreguero paid a brief visit to Mexico’s ambassador.
But Madrid issued a strongly worded denial over the alleged attempt to extract the former Morales aide. But Madrid denied there was any attempt to extract the former Morales aide.
“The ministry wishes to clarify that the charge d’affaires was purely making a courtesy visit and vehemently denies there was any aim to facilitate the exit of people holed up inside the building,” Spain’s foreign ministry said in a statement.“The ministry wishes to clarify that the charge d’affaires was purely making a courtesy visit and vehemently denies there was any aim to facilitate the exit of people holed up inside the building,” Spain’s foreign ministry said in a statement.