day period granted by the Constitution before deciding what to do. Petroleum firms declined to comment for the time being. Mesa has said he would not approve a bill that makes "investments in the country unviable". Bolivia was rocked in March by weeks of protests and road blockades by coca growers and workers. Similar protests two years ago brought down Mesa's predecessor, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. At least 56 people were killed in that unrest, and hundreds wounded by gunfire after security forces opened fire on protesters to disperse them. ---SP 0109 Local Time 2209 GMT
