LA PAZ, Oct. 18 -- Coca growers in Bolivia have called for the expulsion of the interim U.S. ambassador to La Paz, David Dlouhy, following the diplomat's comments criticizing producers of the plant used to make cocaine. Dlouhy's comments on Sunday angered coca growers in Bolivia, who have been at odds with the government over anti-drug efforts in the regions where they produce the plant. Dlouhy was also reported as saying 'coca is used to blackmail the international community.' Bolivia's Interim Foreign Minister, Eduardo Trigo, responded to the coca growers' petition, saying that Dlouhy's comments contained 'some important and very respectable concepts.' Government spokesman Ernesto Machicao said Dlouhy's comments reflected the U.S. government's views on coca production, but 'Bolivia has its own.' Dlouhy said coca growers had planted more than 80,000 acres (33,000 ha) of coca illegally in the past six years 'and nobody has done anything to curb this obvious defiance of the law.' Ruling party Senator Guillermo Richter echoed the views of a number of Bolivian legislators, who blamed cocaine consumption in the United States for the problems faced by coca growers. 'Bolivia has never blackmailed the international community and if there wasn't such a high demand for cocaine, coca would be quite inoffensive,' Richter said. Coca growers leader Nestor Bravo said 'the biggest blackmailers are the United States who, with the excuse of fighting drugs, intervene in countries and violate their sovereignty to impose their political hegemony.' The U.S. Embassy in La Paz issued a statement Tuesday saying that if Bolivia's anti-drug laws had been respected, there would not be any illegal coca plantations, and reiterated U.S. support for Bolivia's alternative development programs aimed at replacing coca with other crops.
A recent report by the Colombian police indicated that Colombia has replaced Bolivia as the world's second largest producer of coca after Peru.
