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<H1>Morales: Obama can invade any country for US energy needs</H1>
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<DIV class="i-clears i-mh"><FONT size=4><STRONG>In his dramatic speech in New
York, Bolivian President Evo Morales called for the UN to be moved out of the US
and for Barack Obama to be tried for crimes against humanity. Speaking to RT,
Morales explained his controversial proposals.</STRONG></FONT></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><STRONG><SPAN>In his most controversial demand, Morales said
that Obama should face an international trial with human rights watchdogs among
the judges. The Bolivian president accused his US counterpart of instigating
conflicts in the Middle East to make the region more volatile and to increase
the US’s grip on the natural resources it abounds in. He gave Libya as an
example of a country where <I>“they arranged for the president to be killed, and
they usurped Libya’s oil.”</I></SPAN> <BR></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><STRONG><I>“Now they are funding the rebels that fight against
presidents who don’t support capitalism or imperialism,”</I> Morales told Eva
Golinger of RT’s Spanish sister channel, Actualidad. <I>“And where a coup d’état
is impossible, they seek to divide the people in order to weaken the nation – a
provocation designed to trigger an intervention by peacekeeping forces, NATO,
the UN Security Council. But the intervention itself is meant to get hold of oil
resources and gain geopolitical control, rather than enforce respect for human
rights.”</I> </STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><STRONG>The US also operates in the same imperialist way
outside the Middle East, Morales argued. At the General Assembly Obama said that
the US <I>“is prepared to use all elements of our power, including military
force, to secure these core interests”</I> in the Middle East. Among the core
interests, he mentioned <I>“the free flow of energy from the region to the
world.”</I> Morales said that Obama’s statement should make any country
possessing natural resources worried. </STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><STRONG><I>“I think that statement poses a threat to all
countries that have energy sources, especially gas and oil,”</I> Morales said.
<I>“But mostly those countries that sell gas and oil to the US. It is a direct
threat. I am planning to meet with President Maduro and analyze the issue. I
understand that this is a direct threat to Venezuela, because in order to secure
his country’s energy needs, Obama can invade any country.”</I>
</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><STRONG>Washington’s relations with Latin America deteriorated
this summer, following the grounding of Evo Morales’s plane in Vienna. President
Morales was on his way home from Moscow when several EU countries closed their
airspace to his jet, on the suspicion that former NSA contractor Edward Snowden
– wanted in the US on espionage charges – was on board. Bolivia
</STRONG></FONT><A
href="http://rt.com/news/latin-america-outrage-bolivia-plane-653/"
target=_blank><FONT size=4><STRONG>laid the blame</STRONG></FONT></A><FONT
size=4><STRONG> for the plane’s grounding on the US.
</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><STRONG>Relations with the US were further aggravated after
Latin American countries </STRONG></FONT><A
href="http://rt.com/news/nsa-latin-america-spying-867/" target=_blank><FONT
size=4><STRONG>learned</STRONG></FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG> they were being
extensively spied upon by the NSA. </STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><STRONG>Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff devoted her UN
General Assembly </STRONG></FONT><A
href="http://rt.com/news/brazil-roussef-nsa-usa-278/" target=_blank><FONT
size=4><STRONG>speech</STRONG></FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG> to condemning the
US surveillance, calling NSA practices a <I>“breach of international
law.”</I> </STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><STRONG>And Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro skipped his
</STRONG></FONT><A
href="http://rt.com/news/morales-interview-obama-un-442/%20http://rt.com/news/maduro-un-us-attendence-333/"
target=_blank><FONT size=4><STRONG>appearance</STRONG></FONT></A><FONT
size=4><STRONG> at the UN altogether, citing plans for <I>“provocations”</I>
against him. </STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><STRONG>Maduro’s decision to break his UN General Assembly
appointment came after Venezuela’s foreign minister, Elias Jaua, told the media
that the US had denied a plane carrying President Maduro entrance into its
airspace. The plane was on the way to China and Washington later allowed it to
pass, arguing that the delay was caused by an improperly-filed overflight
request from Venezuela. </STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><STRONG>Morales said he did not believe the incident was
coincidental, but was indicative of the US’s discrimination against Latin
American diplomats. </STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><STRONG><I>“I talked about this with the media before, after
Bolivian Vice President Álvaro García Linera was not allowed on board an
American Airlines flight to the US. Other Bolivian ministers had to go through a
similar ordeal; they were also asked to take off their jackets and shoes. This
is what happened to ministers, the official representatives of their country. I
got a US visa allowing me to stay for six to seven days, which is the short
period of time absolutely necessary for me to participate in the General
Assembly session. Blackmail over visas, violations of the ministers’ rights, air
piracy – all of that raises security concerns.”</I> </STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><STRONG>What could prevent all this, according to Morales, is
moving the UN headquarters out from the US to a politically neutral country. Or
if that is unachievable, the Bolivian president wants at least the venue for the
annual meeting to rotate among various countries. </STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><I><FONT size=4><STRONG>“The venue could be different every year, in
Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and so on. As for European countries, the UN
headquarters could be moved, for example, to Switzerland – a neutral state that
can guarantee security. I’ve visited it a number of times to attend events
related to human rights and indigenous population rights. In Switzerland, the
president can just go outside and take a stroll with his wife, unconcerned about
security threats. I found it surprising. Another option could be Austria, also a
neutral country, according to its Constitution. The UN has several offices
there. Brazil and Argentina are viable options as well. I believe that if it’s
impossible to move the UN headquarters to a different country, the summit should
be held in a different venue every year, but not in the United States, where we
don’t feel
safe</STRONG></FONT></I></DIV></FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>