S. American leaders meet to resolve Bolivia crisis

By Pav Jordan

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Bolivian President Evo Morales arrived in Chile on Monday for an emergency summit with eight other South American leaders aimed at helping end the political turmoil gripping his impoverished country.

Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president, said he was there to get support from his South American counterparts, as he accused opposition Bolivian governors of trying to topple him.

"We've seen looting, the ransacking of institutions, attempts to assault the police and the armed forces," he said before going to La Moneda government palace where the leaders began talks.

Morales is highly popular but his drive for deep socialist reforms such as land redistribution has polarized Bolivia and as many as 30 people died last week as rebel governors and their supporters stepped up their opposition.

Perennially unstable Bolivia has massive natural gas reserves that are crucial to development in the region, and neighbors are keen to preserve the Morales presidency.

Among those attending the summit were key Bolivia ally President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who is stridently anti-Washington; and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a moderate leftist who leads the region's biggest economy.

Lula is seen as having the biggest potential influence at the summit since Brazil is Bolivia's top foreign investor and is heavily dependent on natural gas exports from its neighbor.

Analysts say leaders must support Morales without appearing to back efforts by Venezuela's Chavez to make the Bolivia crisis into an excuse to attack the United States.

"They are trying to overthrow President Evo Morales and the conspiracy has been born of, financed by and supported by the United States empire," Chavez said on arriving.

Morales and Chavez expelled the U.S. ambassadors in their countries last week, saying they were backing the Bolivian opposition movement.

The group of South American presidents hopes to repeat the success of a similar summit in March that managed coax Andean nations away from an armed conflict. The United States has not been at the table at either gathering.

DIVIDED

Bolivia is divided over a constitution Morales is trying to push through to formalize rights for the country's Indian majority and break up large farms to give land to poor peasant farmers.

Conflict between both sides deepened after Morales and the governors were all strongly endorsed in an August recall vote.

His reforms have drawn fierce opposition in lowland regions in the east of the country, which want greater autonomy from the central government in highland La Paz and a bigger share of energy resources.