Brasília, 10/14/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - In an official note, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry expressed "grave concern" with regard to the situation in Bolivia, referring to the political crisis there and the resultant wave of violence.

The note laments the deaths which have occurred in conflicts between demonstrators and the police. "The Brazilian government emphatically calls for the establishment of a dialogue between the constitutional government of president Sanchez de Lozada and opposition forces so as to find peaceful solutions for the crisis, based on strict compliance with the law, the ideals of human rights and the free circulation of persons and goods," said the note. (AB)