Bolivia has declared a U.S. diplomat persona-non-grata, accusing him of conspiring with the opposition to incite the violent protests of September last year, media reports say.
President Evo Morales expelled Francisco Martinez, the U.S. Embassy's second secretary, for conspiring with opposition groups against the government in La Paz. Martinez was given 72 hours to leave the country.
Stating that Martinez must be expelled "to put an end to a foreign conspiracy," Morales said, "Today, I've decided to declare Francisco Martinez ... who works for the United States embassy, persona non grata."
Rejecting the allegations, the U.S. State Department in a statement called the Bolivian decision "unwarranted and unjustified."
Six months earlier, the Bolivian president expelled the American ambassador Philip Goldberg, alleging he was inciting the political opposition.
Relations between La Paz and the Washington have long been strained. After the protests in September, Bolivia expelled the U.S. ambassador for interfering in domestic affairs, prompting Washington to retaliate by expelling the Bolivian ambassador. |