Bolivia's interim president renews pledge to hold snap elections
Bolivia's interim president Eduardo Rodriguez has reaffirmed the pledge to call general elections as soon as possible, according to Argentine media.

In an interview published Thursday by the Argentine daily Clarin, Rodriguez said that his government is only a transitional administration whose principal aim is to organize the anticipated elections in a transparent, free and immediate way.

Many national affairs and international commitments may have tobe put on hold until the next president is sworn in, he was quoted as saying. But he made it clear that his government would fulfill its energy commitments to other countries, including Argentina.

He said Bolivia and Argentina will work together to revive the paralyzed project of a gas pipeline running through the two countries.

Rodriguez, former president of the Supreme Court, promised general elections by the end of the year after taking power from former president Carlos Mesa on June 9. Mesa quit amid weeks of social and political unrest largely over control of Bolivia's oilfields and natural gas.

The interim government recently ordered the armed forces to take "physical control" of oilfields, apparently to appease continuing demands for full nationalization of the industry in the South American nation, which has allowed the operations of foreign multinationals, such as Britain's BP, Spain's Repsol, France's Total and Brazil's Petrobras since 1997.

But the move is not widely viewed as an end to the operations of foreign energy heavyweights.