Government has not yet received any indication from Bolivian President Evo Morales that he will not be attending this week’s Fifth Summit of the Americas.

Morales, one of the 34 Heads of Government/State scheduled to attend the mega-meeting, is currently on a hunger strike in his country. (See Page 22.)

According to international reports, Morales stopped eating last Thursday and vows to continue until the upper house of parliament, the Senate, passes a new electoral law. The opposition-controlled Senate is blocking a bill that would give greater political power to Bolivia’s indigenous majority, to which Morales belongs.

Morales hopes to establish 14 indigenous electoral districts where Indian groups are in a minority in the Andean nation, which has been marked by decades of political upheaval.

Felipe Noguera, communications co-ordinator of the National Secretariat, told the Express last night: ’We haven’t received any indication from Mr Morales that he will not be attending the Summit. We have confirmation that all Heads are coming. Obviously, new developments can take place that would change this, but that is the information we have now.’

Morales claims to have once gone without food for 18 days in his time as a union leader.