Bolivian President announces plan to boost economy, tackle crime

Bolivian President Hugo Banzer has announced a five-year programme of change for the country which he says will focus on economic growth and on fighting corruption and drug trafficking.

In an address to the nation, Banzer said that, following a national dialogue, the government was embarking on a programme of action.

Economic growth was vital to eradicate poverty, he said.

"The Bolivian economy must grow at a more accelerated rate in an atmosphere of stability in which more jobs are created and we have our minds set on the urgent need to achieve more equal income distribution," Banzer said in the address, broadcast live on Bolivian television.

The aim was to create competitive production, diversify exports, encourage domestic and foreign private investment and promote savings.

The government would also support small and medium-scale businesses, regularize land tenure and change the agricultural sector, Banzer said.

The government wanted to restore the confidence of Bolivians and foreigners alike in the country's justice system and to "remove the country from the drug circuit."

"For the year 2002, we Bolivians want a society less exposed to drug consumption and a stronger country to face foreign intervention," Banzer said.

"We want to live in a reliable country, renew our faith in justice and the integrity of our magistrates. We want the national system of integrity to eliminate, once and for all, the culture of corruption."

BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.