LatinNews Daily - 27 January 2011

Bolivia: During a TV interview with 'CNN', Bolivia's foreign minister, David Choquehuanca, surprisingly announced that Bolivia would be willing to allow the return of US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents if the two countries were to restore diplomatic relations within a framework of “mutual respect". Choquehuanca's comment came in response to a question by the network's anchor, who asked him if Bolivia would reconsider its position regarding the DEA in return for US agreement to lift its objection to a Bolivian request before the UN to amend a 50 year old ban on the chewing of coca leaves, as enshrined in the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. The Bolivian government is currently analyzing an agreement drafted by Washington with the aim of restoring relations and re-installing ambassadors.