Chavez, Fernandez Cancel Bolivia Trip After Violence Kills Two

By Bill Faries

Aug. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Argentina's Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner canceled a joint trip to southern Bolivia today after deaths were reported in an anti- government protest.

Two people died and 30 were injured in confrontations between protesting miners and police forces in the western mining city of Oruro, the newswire EFE reported. The violence comes five days before a national referendum on whether President Evo Morales and eight regional governors should remain in office.

``We evaluated the situation calmly and I told Evo that under these circumstances, we shouldn't put more fuel on the fire,'' Chavez told reporters in Buenos Aires. ``There will be other opportunities.''

Chavez, Fernandez and Morales were expected to meet in the natural gas-rich province of Tarija, where they planned to announce the start of a bidding process to build a new gas separation plant, according to Fernandez's press office.

The violence broke out this morning as miners blocking a highway connecting the capital, La Paz, with the cities of Cochabamba and Santa Cruz confronted police in protests calling for a new pension law, EFE said.

Bolivia, the poorest country in South America, has the continent's second-largest reserves of natural gas.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bill Faries in Buenos Aires at wfaries@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: August 5, 2008 15:31 EDT