"Am I therefore become your enemy,because I TELL YOU THE TRUTH...?"
(Galatians 4:16)

Bolivia's Morales deepens control of economy

LA PAZ-Bolivia's President Evo Morales deepened state control of the economy on Thursday, the second anniversary of his energy nationalization and days before an opposition-led autonomy vote that challenges his leftist reforms.Morales announced the government takeover of Italian-owned Entel, the country's biggest telephone company, and of four energy companies.Police occupied Entel's headquarters in an echo of the May 1, 2006 energy nationalization when Morales sent security forces to Bolivia's oil fields.The new announcements came as residents of the populous and wealthy farming region of Santa Cruz prepare to vote on Sunday in an autonomy referendum that is expected to pass and that is seen as a repudiation of Morales' initiatives."We confirm that there's no turning back on our changes, and national unity is more important than any regional or sectorial agenda," Morales said to applause at a rally of union workers.For more than a year the government had said it was seeking to take over Entel, a unit of Telecom Italia. The government accuses the company of failing to meet commitments to expand phone network coverage. Morales also announced a $6.3 million deal with Spanish oil company Repsol, which will cede control of its Andina subsidiary to the government but retain a minority stake and a say in management.The government will pay more than $37 million to acquire controlling stakes in three other energy companies which it took over by decree, the energy minister said.
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