Mexico to take Bolivia to ICJ over police at embassy

The diplomatic row between Mexico and Bolivia intensified on Thursday after Mexico announced plans to file a complaint against Bolivia's interim government at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Mexico claims that its embassy in La Paz has been under "siege" since it took in several officials from ex-President Evo Morales' former government.

Large numbers of police and intelligence officers have been stationed outside the embassy, Mexico says, adding that its diplomats are being harassed and intimidated.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Thursday that he wanted the court in The Hague to mediate, as the security buildup violated international treaties regarding the rights of diplomatic personnel.

"We are simply proposing that the integrity of our diplomatic installations, which are Mexican territory, be respected and preserved ... as well as that of the people inside," he said.

Bolivia rejects claims from Mexico

Bolivia's interim government urged Mexico to withdraw its appeal to the ICJ, calling the case a "mistake" and a "legal fallacy."

"No one can file a lawsuit for unproven facts, no one can be sued for acts they have not committed," Bolivian Foreign Minister Karen Longaric told reporters.

She added that Bolivian security forces "would never enter a diplomatic building without prior authorization" nor would they violate the 1961 Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.

Bolivia previously justified the security deployment as a response to "credible threats" of attacks on Mexico's embassy.

Arrest warrants have been issued for some of the ex-officials inside Mexico's embassy, with Bolivian authorities accusing them of electoral fraud or other crimes.

Political upheaval

Relations between the two countries have been strained since Mexico granted Morales political asylum after he resigned from his post last month.

Bolivia's political crisis began after Morales declared he won a fourth term as president following an election that was marred by accusations of electoral fraud — with the Organization of American States (OAS) saying there was "overwhelming evidence" the vote was rigged in his favor.

Protests erupted following the election, with Morales eventually losing the backing of Bolivia's military and stepping down on November 10.

Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president who had been in power since 2006, first fled to Mexico and has since relocated to Argentina.

Bolivia's interim government is currently being led by Jeanine Anez, a former conservative senator and opponent of Morales. Bolivian lawmakers have now paved the way for new elections, but without Morales.

rs/msh (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

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