The diplomatic skills of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spain's Socialist prime minister, were being put to the test yesterday as he met Evo Morales, Bolivia's president-elect, to plead against the nationalisation of Bolivia's oil and gas reserves.

Spain is dangling the carrot of more official aid for South America's poorest nation if Mr Morales waters down plans to nationalise Bolivia's energy sector, which has the second largest gas reserves in the region after Venezuela.