MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivian government and opposition agree and call for calm

Chile's Bachelet holds UNASUR pro tempore chair

Bolivia's government and a key opposition figure appealed on Saturday for calm following days of political violence which have left at least 16 people killed in clashes. A summit of South American leaders to address the situation has been convened for Monday in Santiago de Chile.

The governor of Tarija province, Mario Cossio, delivered the call for peace Saturday after his meeting with government officials in La Paz. Cossio went to the Bolivian capital as the representative of a group of governors from the country's richest provinces opposed to President Evo Morales plans for sweeping reforms. "We're here because of our clear will to establish a base for a process of dialogue which will pave the way for a pact, a national agreement, a process of national reconciliation" Cossio told reporters. "This is the time for reconciliation, not later". Cossio said talks would continue Sunday, "we've advanced quite a bit; the government is willing to grant us greater autonomy. I think we're on track to peace and reconciliation". President Morales is scheduled to participate in Sunday's talks in the Government Palace. Two week protests against President Morales' plans turned violent in the last days. At least 16 people have been killed in clashes between pro-government demonstrators and opposition supporters in Pando province. The violence prompted President Morales to declare martial law in Pando, and to send troops to take control of the airport in the provincial capital, Cobija. Rioting, looting and sabotage included disruption of natural gas supply (the country's main export) to neighboring Brazil and Argentina. Opposition groups in Bolivia's four oil-rich eastern provinces began demonstrating last month against the president's plans to rewrite the constitution and redistribute land and natural gas revenues to the poor. Morales on Friday said that despite pressure to show a "firm hand," he was the "first to ban the army and police from using firearms against the population". Bolivian television showed soldiers beaten by protestors. Meantime it was announced that leaders from UNASUR, Union of South American Nations (Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guayana, Perú, Paraguay, Surinam, Uruguay and Venezuela) will be holding an emergency meeting Monday in Santiago to consider the situation. Chile hosts the meeting since it holds the pro tempore chair. According to Chilean sources President Michelle Bachelet spoke to President Morales and several other leaders which also contacted among themselves and decided to meet in Santiago to express their full support to the beleaguered elected president and to Bolivian institutional rule. All South American countries have expressed full and unconditional support to President Morales and have described the violence, rioting and sabotage as "terrorist actions".