MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivia's energy minister quits

Just hours after Bolivian President Evo Morales said he trusted “differences” could be worked out with Brazil's Petrobras, riled by a move to seize its refinery revenue, Morales' energy minister resigned.

Bolivian Energy Minister Andrés Solíz quit his post yesterday, a day after a resolution nationalizing the Petrobras refineries ? which he had signed ? was suspended due to protests by the Brazilian government.

Morales met briefly with Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim in Havana at a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement of developing nations.

Morales told reporters he believed Brazil's state energy company Petrobras would not pull out of Bolivia, despite Amorim's comment that this would be an option if the resolution were to take effect.

But Bolivia's first indigenous president also reasserted his country's right to manage its natural resources, which he said have been historically exploited with no benefit to the Bolivian people.

"We need partners, not bosses, not owners, be they Total, Repsol or Petrobras," Morales told a news conference.

The resolution signed earlier this week gave Bolivian state oil company YPFB control of exports and domestic sales of fuels that are produced at the two Petrobras refineries. Petrobras says it is Bolivia's only refiner