MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivia/Spain/Mexico spat escalates with the expulsion of diplomats

President Añez declared non grata Mexican ambassador Maria Teresa Mercado, Spain's charge d'affaires Cristina Borreguero, and consul Alvaro Fernandez

Bolivia's interim president Jeanine Añez announced on Monday that the country will expel Mexico's ambassador and two Spanish diplomats, drawing a tit-for-tat response from Madrid as a dispute over an alleged attempt to extract an ex-government aide escalated.

The row erupted after Bolivia's right-wing interim government accused Spain of attempting to spirit a wanted former aide to ex-president Evo Morales out of the Mexican embassy in La Paz.

Former minister Juan Ramon Quintana has been holed up at the Mexican embassy with around 10 other members of the former leftist government since seeking asylum after Morales quit power on Nov 10.

Quintana, another ex-minister Wilma Alanoca and the others have all been charged with sedition and terrorism offenses by the new government, which has refused them safe passage out of the country.

But Bolivia was incensed by what it called an attempt by Spanish embassy staff to infiltrate the Mexican mission in La Paz last Friday to extract Quintana, who has been Morales' right-hand man since his early days in power.

”The constitutional government that I preside over has decided to declare persona non grata the ambassador of Mexico in Bolivia, Maria Teresa Mercado, the charge d'affaires of Spain, Cristina Borreguero, and the (Spanish) consul, Alvaro Fernandez,“ Añez said.

She accused the diplomats of having ”seriously harmed the sovereignty and dignity of the people and the constitutional government of Bolivia“ and gave them 72 hours to depart.

Bolivia's Foreign Minister Karen Longaric later on Monday said the expulsions ”do not imply any break in diplomatic relations.“

Mexico's foreign ministry denounced the ”political“ decision and said it had instructed Mercado to return home.

Relations with Bolivia have cooled since Mexico offered Morales political asylum and President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called the ex-leader the victim of a coup.

Morales - who resigned in November after weeks of protests over his controversial re-election - stands accused of sedition and terrorism and is now living in exile in Argentina.

Spain hit back within hours, declaring three Bolivian diplomats ”personae non gratae” and giving them three days to leave the country.

Earlier, Madrid had issued a strongly worded denial over the alleged attempt to extract the former Morales aide.

On Monday, a large police presence continued to monitor activity at the embassy, stopping and checking cars moving through the area, and around 20 activists held a peaceful protest against the Mexican government.