Brazil, Bolivia to address energy crisis

SAO PAULO, Brazil – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva insisted Thursday he’s taking a tough line in a major energy dispute with Bolivia, and said he’ll meet with Bolivian leader Evo Morales to try solve the crisis after Brazil’s Oct. 1 presidential elections.

Silva used a televised interview to fend off allegations by his main political rival that ideological friendship with Morales has led him to soft-pedal Brazil’s national interests.

He said the two leaders would meet at an unspecified date after the election “to find a solution for the issue” that has strained relations between the neighboring nations just as Silva enters the home stretch of his re-election bid amid rising political heat.

Bolivia last week shocked Brazil when it announced it would take all the money Brazil’s state-owned oil company gets from its two Bolivian refineries