Latin American leaders gathered in Bolivia on Thursday to back President
Evo Morales, fuming after some European nations temporarily refused his
plane access to their airspace amid suspicions US fugitive Edward
Snowden was aboard.
Morales arrived home late Wednesday after a long layover in Vienna,
saying his plane was diverted there because it was barred from flying
over four European nations, sparking outrage among Latin American
leaders.
The Bolivian leader's plane odyssey began hours after Morales
declared in Moscow that he would be willing to consider an asylum
application from Snowden, who is seeking sanctuary in several Latin
American nations to evade US espionage charges.
“Apologies from a country that did not let us pass over its territory
are not enough” Morales said before talks with fellow leaders in the
central city of Cochabamba. “Some governments apologized, saying it was
an error, but this was not an error.”
Presidents Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, Rafael Correa of Ecuador,
Jose Mujica of Uruguay and Desi Bouterse of Suriname arrived for the
afternoon talks while Argentina's Cristina Kirchner landed later.
”We are in Bolivia to give a hug in solidarity to our brother Evo
Morales, to our dear Bolivia, but also to take decisions and show that
we won't accept this sort of humiliation against any country of (Latin)
America,“ Correa said before arriving.
”Imagine if this happened to a European head of state, if this had
happened to the president of the United States. It probably would have
been a casus belli, a case for war,“ he said. ”They think they can
attack, crush, and destroy international law.“
Maduro said Europe had ”attacked the international immunity that protects a head of state.”
Correa had called for a larger summit gathering leaders of the Union
of South American Nations (UNASUR), but the presidents of Brazil,
Colombia, Chile and Peru had yet to confirm their attendance, even
though they too condemned the incident.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos voiced support for Morales but
warned on Twitter against ”converting this into a diplomatic crisis
between Latin America and the EU (European Union).“
Bolivian officials accused France, Portugal, Italy and Spain of
denying entry to Morales's jet late Tuesday as he flew back home from
Russia due to ”unfounded rumors“ Snowden was on board.
Morales has also lashed out at the United States, urging Europeans to ”free themselves from the US empire.“
The US consulate's walls in the city of Santa Cruz were sprayed with
red graffiti, one reading ”Gringos Obama out.“ On late Wednesday, some
100 protesters burned flags and threw rocks at the French embassy in the
Bolivian capital La Paz, smashing windows.
Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor, has applied
for asylum in several Latin American nations while waiting in legal
limbo in a Moscow airport, trying to escape US justice after leaking
details of a vast US phone and Internet surveillance program.
Morales likened described his situation as a ”13-hour kidnapping.“
France since apologized for temporarily refusing entry to Morales's
jet, with President Francois Hollande saying there was ”conflicting
information“ about the passengers.
The Bolivian government has lodged a complaint with the United Nations and planned another to the UN Human Rights Commission.
”What was the main objective? Just to scare me? Shut me up? Intimidate me? What was the goal?” Morales said.
Russia joined Latin American leaders in condemning France, Spain and
Portugal, while Venezuela's Maduro said his government would review
relations with Madrid.
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