Commission to Mediate in Bolivian Departmental Conflict

La Paz, Jan 25. -A governmental commission will arrive in Santa Cruz on Wednesday to mediate in the conflict between the departments of Tarija and Chuquisaca for the gas field of Margarita, and royalties for the sale of hydrocarbons.The said commission was announced on Tuesday by Interior Minister Carlos Romero, who talked about the composition of the group and the reasons why it will travel to Santa Cruz and not to Tarija or Chuquisaca.

Romero said that the high-level representation is comprised of Hydrocarbons Minister Juan Jose Sosa, Minister for the Presidency Juan Ramon Quintana, and Carlos Villegas, president of Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB).

Tarija representatives insisted that the government should send its representatives on Tuesday afternoon to negotiate a solution to the conflict for the distribution of royalties from the gas field.

The people from Tarija said that if the commission did not arrive, they would begin a gradual hunger strike on Tuesday to intensify the pressure started on January 19 with a call to an indefinite strike. (Prensa Latina)