Opponents of President Evo Morales say his energy nationalization plan and cozying up to Hugo Chavez could greatly constrict foreign investment in Bolivia and push current investors to flee. The AP reports,
Bolivian opposition leaders warned Evo Morales' tough stance on foreign energy companies facing nationalization could drive investors away and Brazil's state oil firm expressed outrage at the president's accusation that it was operating illegally.... He raised eyebrows again Thursday when he said foreign companies might not be compensated for giving up control of operations and assets - a seeming hardening of his position just hours after Bolivian and Brazilian officials met in La Paz and agreed to form a commission to study how energy companies would be compensated. "If they have recovered their investment, then there is no reason to compensate them whatsoever," Morales told a news conference. In Bolivia's capital, opposition leaders on Thursday warned Morales' hard-line stance could isolate the impoverished nation internationally and criticized the president for being too influenced by Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's president. "(Morales') declarations in Europe could lead us to greater international isolation and to Bolivia being shunned by investors," said Sen. Oscar Ortiz of the opposition Podemos party. "That would be serious for the country because then the gas underground wouldn't do us any good." several On Thursday, Chavez said he would provide Bolivia with a credit line of $100 million and would donate $35 million, which would fund computers in Bolivian schools and children's food kitchens....