The first round of talks between Bolivian President Evo Morales and two department prefects who are bitterly opposed to Bolivia's pro-indigenous Government got underway on Wednesday. It is hoped that the meeting will begin to ease the tensions that have divided the country for months. Hostility between the Government and its opponents peaked last week, with clashes between the two factions and the murder of members of the indigenous community in Pando, northern Bolivia.

The talks will address matters at the heart of the conflict, such as degree of autonomy of Bolivia's departments and their place in the constitutional. The prefects of the "half moon", or the four regions in the east of the country that are rich in fossil fuels, want far greater autonomy from central government to limit the influence of Evo Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president. Next January, the Government intends to hold a referendum on a new constitution that gives greater rights to the indigenous majority, which the opposition are bitterly against.

But discussions will also focus on the Direct Tax on Hydrocarbons (IDH) which the "half moon" departments bear the brunt of. Morales introduced the tax to pay for a national pension for the over sixties, on the condition that the Government would transfer a larger sum to the provincial governments. The "half moon" prefects have called for the IDH to be scrapped.

Morales has said that, if the Government is going to make any concessions on these issues, the prefects must call on their supporters to abandon the government buildings and energy installations that have been occupied for over a week, and to call off the blockades that have been affecting more than thirty highways.

Accusations of murder
Violence peaked last week when a number of farmers and members of the indigenous community were killed indiscriminately in the department of Pando. The department prefect, Leopold Fernández, has been accused of ordering the massacre, and has already been arrested. According to eyewitness accounts, a group of indigenous Government supporters was ambushed. At least fifteen died in the attack and more than a hundred remain unaccounted for.
Bolivia's Chief Prosecutor, Mario Uribe, said Leopoldo Fernández was responsible for a "massacre" and "genocide".

International repercussions
The conflict in Bolivia attracted international attention when Morales accused the United States of contributing to divisions in the country by supporting the autonomist movement. Morales expelled the American ambassador and within hours Venezuela's President, Hugo Chavez, had followed suit. Washington responded by expelling Bolivian and Venezuelan ambassadors and adding Bolivia to a list of countries that are currently failing to tackle drugs trafficking effectively.

The twelve South American nations that make up the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), however, have given Bolivia their unconditional support.

Further information:

• Agencia Boliviana de Información: Gobierno y prefectos opositores inician diálogo este jueves en Cochabamba
• El Diario: Comienza diálogo y proponen discutir por tiempo y materia
• IPS: BOLIVIA: Opposition Accepts Morales's Call for Talks
• Nationalia: Evo Morales wins recall election and says he is ready to talk to autonomist prefects