LA PAZ, Bolivia (CNN) -- An air of anxiety clutches Bolivia this weekend amid high-stakes talks designed to end bloodshed and keep the country whole.



Bolivian President Evo Morales says opposition leaders are trying to overthrow the government.



The central government of leftist President Evo Morales, Bolivia's first leader from an Indian majority centered in the western highlands, is conducting talks with governors of largely white provinces in the east who want autonomy.



Tension between the two sides erupted into violence that killed at least 30 people in September. In addition, differences about the country's future have threatened to split the country.



Julian Torrico, a peasant leader, said he and other Morales supporters will storm the eastern city of Santa Cruz if the talks, which started Thursday, do not yield progress.



"We will go into Santa Cruz and respond with force because they have (marginalized) us and massacred us, so we will massacre them and we will take their land away from them," he said.  Watch protesters march in Santa Cruz »



"The fight here is between poor and rich. The government of Evo Morales took power by a majority and now these opposition governors don't want to let him govern," Torrico said.



Anyelo Cespedes, president of the Santa Cruz Youth Union, which opposes Morales, said they don't want a dictatorship or a communist regime.



"We have our way of life and we don't want that changed," he said.



The central government and eastern governors are discussing topics that include the distribution of natural-gas revenues, autonomy for several eastern provinces and the president's plan for a new constitution.



Those negotiations may offer one of the final chances to reverse Bolivia's slide toward violent instability, according to Gonzalo Chavez, an analyst.



"This is probably one of the few opportunities that we're going to have to solve the problems of the country," he said.



Four of nine provinces in Bolivia have declared autonomy from the central government in referendums this year. Morales, an ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and former Cuban President Fidel Castro, said the moves could cause Bolivia to disintegrate.



The eastern opposition leaders have long opposed a decision of the Morales government to divert some revenue from oil and gas produced in the region to pay for government programs for the elderly. They have also opposed his plans to revise the constitution to give greater rights to the indigenous majority.



The differences flared into violence with opposition protesters occupying government buildings and energy installations.



Morales has said the opposition leaders are trying to overthrow the government. He expelled U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia Philip Goldberg on the grounds that he urged anti-government protesters to get violent, an assertion the United States has denied.



"This is a coup in the past few days by the leaders of some provinces, with the takeover of some institutions, the sacking and robbery of some government institutions and attempts to assault the national police and the armed forces," Morales has said.



Opposition leaders said they merely want their demands met.



Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza of the Organization of American States arrived in Bolivia on Friday to encourage dialogue. He expressed optimism based on the "preliminary results" from the talks.



Representatives of the Organization of American States and the 12-nation Union of South American Countries are among a group of international observers that has come to Bolivia for the negotiations.



Ivan Canelas, a government spokesman, said the talks provide a critical opportunity to break an impasse that has split the country for months.



"We understand that making peace requires the suspension of all forms of pressure," he said.



Gov. Mario Cossio of the eastern Tarija state said he and other opposition leaders hope to reach a final agreement.



He said they hope "to build a national agreement that Bolivia needs, that the Bolivians want." He said the goal is to "give peace back to our country and give certainty to Bolivia."



CNN's Karl Penhaul and Gloria Carrasco contributed to this story.
What did provinces in Bolivia declare? What do Bolivian leaders plan to hold? In what month did 30 or more deaths occur? How many provinces in Bolivia declared autonomy? When are the peace talks planned by Bolivian leaders? Ho many people died in September? How any provinces in Bolivia have declared autonomy? Who are planning to hold talks? How many provinces in Bolivia have declared autonomy? What country's leaders plan to hold talks? How many people have died in September?
autonomy talks with governors of largely white provinces in the east September. Four of nine this weekend 30 Four President Evo Morales, Four of nine Bolivia 30
question: What did provinces in Bolivia declare?, answer: autonomy | question: What do Bolivian leaders plan to hold?, answer: talks with governors of largely white provinces in the east | question: In what month did 30 or more deaths occur?, answer: September. | question: How many provinces in Bolivia declared autonomy?, answer: Four of nine | question: When are the peace talks planned by Bolivian leaders?, answer: this weekend | question: Ho many people died in September?, answer: 30 | question: How any provinces in Bolivia have declared autonomy?, answer: Four | question: Who are planning to hold talks?, answer: President Evo Morales, | question: How many provinces in Bolivia have declared autonomy?, answer: Four of nine | question: What country's leaders plan to hold talks?, answer: Bolivia | question: How many people have died in September?, answer: 30