| The Bolivian government has moved closer to | | | | approved contracts as part of a plan by Mr. |
| nationalizing Entel, the country's largest | | | | Morales to nationalize the country's oil and |
| telecommunications company. | | | | gas industry. |
| | | | |
| On Monday, President Evo Morales' government | | | | Lawmakers set aside past differences and |
| ordered the transfer of 47 percent of Entel's | | | | unanimously approved all 44 deals negotiated |
| stock from two private pension funds to state | | | | last year with several foreign energy |
| control. | | | | companies. |
| | | | |
| Authorities also were negotiating for the | | | | Mr. Morales pledged during his campaign in |
| sale of the 50 percent stake held by an | | | | late 2005 to give greater political and |
| Italian company Telecom Italia. | | | | economic power to the country's poor. He is |
| | | | Bolivia's first indigenous president. |
| President Morales has set May first as the | | | | |
| deadline for the nationalization of Entel. | | | | Some information for this report was provided |
| | | | by AFP, AP and Reuters. |
| Separately, the Bolivian Congress last week | | | | |