which also serves as the seat of government. On Thursday, police prevented the miners from entering the main square by using tear gas, while demonstrators hurled stones and explosives with slingshots, according to an AFP journalist at the scene. Protests against the policies of center-right President Rodrigo Paz, who has been in power since November, have shaken the Andean nation since May. Roadblocks continued to choke major routes into La Paz throughout Friday, according to the national road authority. The miners protesting on Thursday demanded Paz’s resignation, arguing that he had failed to address their concerns, including fuel shortages and the lack of work equipment. Friday morning, the government announced that it had reached an agreement with the protesters following “almost 12 hours of talks,” Economy Minister Jose Gabriel Espinoza told reporters. He said the negotiated agreement would be announced in due course but did not provide further details. “We mainly had nine points, all of which have been addressed successfully,” said Oscar Chavarria, president of Potosí’s Federation of Mining Cooperatives. In a joint statement issued on Friday, the governments of Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Panama, and Honduras expressed concern about the situation in Bolivia. “We reject any action aimed at destabilizing the democratic order,” the group said.“We urge all political and social actors to channel their differences by prioritizing dialogue, respect for institutions, and the preservation of social peace.” Paz won last year’s elections, marking a shift to the right after two decades of socialist rule. He pledged to end Bolivia’s worst economic crisis in four decades, which has been marked by severe shortages of foreign currency and fuel. Paz eliminated the two-decade-old fuel subsidies that had drained the country’s dollar reserves, but his government has so far failed to stabilize fuel supplies. He is now facing mounting pressure from multiple fronts. (Bssnews)