Bolivia and US 'to restore diplomatic relations'

LONDON. November 8. KAZINFORM Bolivia and the US have agreed to restore full diplomatic ties three years after the US ambassador to La Paz was expelled by President Evo Morales; Kazinform refers to BBC.

In an agreement signed in Washington, the two nations pledged to work together to fight drug trafficking.

President Morales expelled US drug enforcement agents and the ambassador, Philip Goldberg, in 2008, accusing them of conspiring against the government.

But relations have improved and talks began last year to reinstate ties.

The agreement sees "the swift return of ambassadors to Washington and La Paz," according to a Bolivian Foreign Ministry statement cited by Reuters news agency.

"The accord's objectives include strengthening and deepening bilateral relations... (and) supporting efficient co-operation against the production and trafficking of illegal drugs," the statement said.

But the pact does not mention whether US drug agents will return to Bolivia, the world's third largest cocaine producer; Kazinform cites BBC.

To learn more go to www.bbc.co.uk