MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Morales begins land distribution among Bolivian Indians

Bolivian President Evo Morales launched Saturday his land reform by distributing an estimated 20.000 square kilometres of government property among poor peasants and Indians.

Morales signed the first seven property documents during a peasants' rally in Santa Cruz in open defiance of local farmers who strongly oppose the small plots policy in the richest and most prosperous of Bolivia's regions.

"They didn't want me to sign the documents but I had to show them that land distribution is presidential business", Morales told the cheering crowd.

The Bolivian president said that land reform begun with assets which had been recovered during the last ten years, but anticipated that it will continue with "unproductive land" including the annulment of concessions to forestry companies awarded during his predecessor's administration, Carlos Mesa (2003/2005). "All this will be decided by the Constitutional Assembly since natural resources can't be awarded as concessions", remarked Mr. Morales.

Next July Bolivians will be voting for a constitutional assembly to rewrite the Constitution and Mr. Morales has been strongly campaigning to ensure a majority that will include the reforms he has been executing including the nationalization of hydrocarbons industry assets and resources.

But he insisted that "honest farmers who work the land have nothing to fear; it's only those who speculate who should fear".

The Community Origin Lands as the official program is known will benefit thousands of peasants and Indian communities in most of Bolivia's regions

Several different Indian groups benefited by the new policy said the event was "historic". "We want our territories back, that's what is pushing us" said Wilson Chacaray head of the Guarani tribes.

Alejandro Almaraz, Bolivia's vice minister of land, praised the initial hand-over saying the government will ensure the sustainable management of the land and no forests or protected natural areas would be touched.

"It is land that has no legal problems," Almaraz said. "And we believe that it's not right to try to block this measure when it's going to help many poor people that have been waiting and need this land to improve their life."

The land being targeted for distribution belongs to the state and that was set aside for redistribution before Morales took office in January. None of the land has been confiscated from large landholders.

But the Agriculture and Livestock Confederation which represents the largest farmers of the country threatened to create "self defense" groups with the purpose of preventing any land "invasions".

Farmers are demanding that government's land distribution must be done with the participation of all groups involved otherwise it could lead to "confrontation" among Bolivians.

President Morales has plans to redistribute during his five year mandate, 20 million hectares of land.

The land distribution campaign follows the nationalization of hydrocarbons resources unexpectedly decided and executed a month ago by Morales, the first ever indigenous president in