MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivian Armed Forces support President Mesa

Amid continuing street protests and coup rumours Bolivian Armed Forces expressed Wednesday their full support for President Carlos Mesa after two rebellious officers called for his resignation.

Hours after President Mesa announced his decision to remain in office until the end of his term in August 2007 two Lieutenants Colonels issued a communiqué in the name of a movement allegedly taking shape within the Bolivian army. "We have no president at the palace and Bolivia has no government" said one of the rebels calling for Mr. Mesa to step down.

The rebel call drew an immediate response from the Armed Forces' high command, which ratified support for the current administration and said the insubordinates would be punished.

The conduct of officers who seek "to discredit" the institution with coup attempts "does not represent the feeling of the Armed Forces", who remain fast in their support of the "rule of law, democracy and our institutions" said the official military release.

The dissident military group revealed they have been in existence for a year and are made up of mid-ranking officers from the three services.

The group said it sides with the protesters who have been marching downtown La Paz since Monday calling for the nationalization of the natural gas and oil industry and a constitutional assembly.

Following the latest spate of protests and strikes the capital La Paz has since last Monday, virtually come to a standstill with radical groups trying to storm Plaza Murillo the seat of the executive and congressional buildings.

In their statement, rebel officers call on their comrades to abstain from ordering back the protests to prevent a replay of October 2003 when over 60 people were killed and forced then President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada to step down and flee the country. He was replaced by Mr. Mesa.

In the 19 months since taking office president Mesa has insisted he will not resort to violence and that his only weapons will be "dialogue and the law".

The main instigator of the protests and head of one of the main blocks in Congress Evo Morales rejected the idea of an army uprising, saying "regardless of where it comes from, a coup is not democracy" "It's important to have patriotic military men, but they must respect democracy and the constitution" said Mr. Morales defending the importance of social protests and calling on the administration and Congress to heed to people's demands.