BOLIVIA: EVO MORALES ATTACKS AGAIN THE U.S. IN THE PRESENCE OF SECRETARY GATES The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, on Monday, Nov. 22, again accused the U.S. of having attempted coups in Bolivia, Venezuela and Ecuador without success and of having succeeded only in the case of Honduras.

He did this in the presence of the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Robert Gates. “We need to recognize, fellow Latin American compatriots, that the United States beat us in Honduras and consolidated a coup d’etat. The North American empire beat us, but the people of America in Venezuela (2002), in Bolivia (2008) and in Ecuador (2010), also won…we are 3 to 1,” stated Morales at the opening of the IX Conference of the Defense Ministers of the Americas. The Conference began in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz with Defense Ministers or representatives from 30 countries within the continent; Gates was amongst those that were listening attentively to the Bolivian president’s words. The president also rejected Washington “doctrines” on drug trafficking and terrorism that, according to him, were used to intervene in Latin America. The Conference will continue with a closed-door session until Thursday, Nov. 25 to debate three central themes: “Peace and Trust in the Region”, “Democracy, Armed Forces and Society” and “Regional Security and Natural Disasters.” (www.elnuevodiario.com.ni)

PERU: DIALOGUE IS PROPOSED TO MANAGE THE REGIONAL CONSERVATION AREA WITHIN THE ANCESTRAL TERRITORY Two indigenous federations in the region of San Martin, Peru proposed a negotiating table to dialogue and establish with the government a consensus to implement a true and efficient system of management with the Regional Conservation Area (ACR) Cordillera Escalera. This initiative arose due to an investigation that was made by the State Environmental District Attorney’s Office of the indigenous community for a presumed crime against the natural resources and against the forest of this area that includes illegal clearing of the land and the burning of the forest. The problem originated when the ACR Cordillera Escalera was created Dec. 24, 2005 for the conservation and protection of nature without consulting or including the participation of the Kichwa communities, ancestral inhabitants of these areas. In order to arrive at a reasonable and constructive solution the indigenous federations proposed a joint management of the resources that have traditionally been utilized without compromising the stability of the eco-systems. The aim is to make compatible the strategies of maintenance and conservation of the ACR with the traditional sustainable use by the native Kichwa communities in these specific zones of the protected areas. (www.servindi.org-actualidad)

MEXICO: GREENPEACE PROTESTS IN THE WATERS OF THE MEXICAN GULF The environmentalist group, Greenpeace, demonstrated in the waters of the Mexican Gulf unfurling a banner on the deepwater drilling rig “PetroRig III”, also known as “Centenario”, that read “Petroleum = Climate Change.” In an announcement, Greenpeace said that the protest was organized to “denounce the inconsistency of the Mexican government’s policy of hosting the 16th United Nations’ Conference on climate change” (where representatives from 194 countries will meet on Nov. 29 until Dec. 10), while at the same time “promoting and investing in fossil fuels.” Greenpeace indicated that the deep-waters explorations in the Gulf of Mexico are an unnecessary risk that increases Mexico’s responsibility in the problem of climate change. The protest took place on board the chartered vessel “Arctic Sunrise.” As far as he is concerned, Gustavo Ampugnani, coordinator of Greenpeace’s climate and energy campaign, stated that these types of protests are aimed at making demands from the Mexican government that it cancel these types of projects. “It is a denunciation to demand that the Mexican government cancel these deep-water petroleum extracting projects,” said Ampugnani. (www.excelsior.com.mx)