LIMA, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Tensions between the Bolivian government and Brazil's energy company Petrobras mounted on Tuesday, as the authorities accused the Brazilian company of "sabotage," blaming it for diesel fuel shortages felt across Bolivia, said reports from La Paz on Tuesday.
Petrobras was one of the companies responsible for exporting government-subsidized diesel to Bolivia, but it had stopped doing so in recent days, said Jorge Alvarado, the president of Bolivia's state oil company, Yaciemientos Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos.
"Petrobras (has been)... the only company that is not delivering (diesel) in recent days. This is because, allegedly, it has not received government credit notes," said Alvarado.
He said the Bolivian government might have been late in paying Petrobras for the subsidized fuel, but that it had never been a problem before.
"I see... the act of Petrobras as an approach intended to sabotage the country," Alvarado said.
The relations between Petrobras and Bolivia have been tense since May 1, when the country decided to nationalize its fossil fuel resources.
Petrobras, which produces 60 percent of the natural gas that Bolivia exports to Brazil, was hard hit by the decision. Enditem
