MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US offers aid to Bolivia's new government but?

United States offered Tuesday aid to Bolivia's new administration but specified that the bilateral relationship will depend on the policies that elected president Evo Morales implements and the ties he develops with other countries.

"We look forward to working with the new government. Our relationship will be based on their commitment to democracy and the principles that we hold dear in this hemisphere, not only the United States, but many other countries. And so we will see how that relationship proceeds forward based on their commitment to democracy and other important principles" White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said at a press briefing Tuesday.

Morales's first pre-inauguration foreign trip was to Cuba, where he and Fidel Castro underscored their commitments to fighting "imperialism" a term which clearly identifies United States power and wealth.

On the same Tuesday Mr. Morales on the first leg of a long tour to seven countries, was in Venezuela huddling with President Hugo Chavez and anticipating that his country is uniting with Venezuela in a fight against "neoliberalism and imperialism".

At another press briefing, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack also expressed Washington's willingness to collaborate with the new Bolivian government, as well as with any other democratically elected government. "Our only concern is that democratically elected governments govern in a democratic way" he added.

Meantime the French Foreign Affairs office confirmed that president Jacques Chirac will be receiving Mr. Evo Morales next Saturday in the Elysee Palace.

On Friday Mr. Morales is scheduled to give a conference at the Latin American House in Paris, an event organized by the Inter American Development Bank.

From France Mr. Morales will travel to Brussels as a guest of the European Union Parliament. He will then fly to South Africa to meet Nelson Mandela, China and finally Brazil where he is scheduled to hold talks with president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

It is not clear yet if Mr. Morales while in Paris will be meeting with French oil companies that have significant investments in the Bolivian gas industry going back to 1995. Mr. Morales has announced he would review all oil and gas contracts.

Before leaving La Paz for Venezuela it was revealed that the elected president had a formal meeting with US Ambassador in Bolivia David N Greenlee.