Bolivian President Evo Morales orders expulsion of USAID
"USAID is out; I ask the
foreign minister to immediately communicate with the U.S. Embassy,"
Morales said in a speech Wednesday, according to the state-run ABI news
agency.
According to USAID's
Bolivia website, the agency has operated there since 1964. It says it
carries out health, sustainable development and environmental programs
in the country. The agency says its 2011 budget for Bolivia was $26.7 million.
The State Department
called the decision regrettable and said the ones who will be hurt by
the expulsion will be ordinary Bolivians.
"We deny the baseless
allegations made by the Bolivian government," State Department spokesman
Patrick Ventrell said of the accusations that the agency meddled in
Bolivian affairs. (CNN)
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