*Updated July 3*
Guadalajara -
An aircraft carrying Bolivian president Evo Morales was forced to land in Austria this evening after European authorities suspected it might be carrying former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. But a search of the plane revealed that he was not aboard.
Snowden has been in an international transit zone of the Moscow airport since arriving from Hong Kong on June 23. President Morales was in the Russian capital for two days, along with Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, to attend a summit of gas exporting nations which ended today.
The two men and their countries are close allies. Both have suggested in recent days that they would look favorably upon a Snowden political asylum request. There has been speculation that one or the other might try to return home with Snowden, who is wanted in the United States on multiple charges, including violations of the Espionage Act.
Bolivian foreign minister David Choquehuanca told a press conference in Quito, "The president had to land in Vienna, because of unfounded suspicions that Snowden was on board. We don't know who manufactured this outrageous lie."
Inexplicably, Morales and his team were delayed in the capital city for more than 13 hours. "I would call it a kidnapping," he said.
Morales spent Tuesday night in Vienna's VIP airport lounge, where an unexpected visitor showed up - Spain's ambassador to Austria. "He wanted to get on board the plane, 'to have a cup of coffee with me,' he said. I told him no, that wasn't possible. The aircraft is Bolivian property and is immune from inspection, like an embassy. Under international norms no one can enter unless expressly invited."
Morales, who denied having seen Edward Snowden during the two days he spent at the Moscow summit, implied that the Spanish ambassador wanted to conduct a further "in depth" search of the presidential jet. "I'm not some kind of a criminal," said Morales, who lashed out at the "imperialistic mentality" of European countries. "We're not still back in the colonial days."
Choquehuanca said the presidential aircraft had been denied permission to fly over Portuguese and French air space, requiring it to return to Austrian territory. Ecuador's government, which has been very outspoken in support of Snowden and says it will still consider his request for asylum "if and when he arrives" in Quito, condemned the decisions made in Lisbon and Paris as "egregiously offensive." Both Ecuador and Bolivia made it clear they hold the U.S. responsible for today's events.
Subsequent reports by some news agencies carried a slightly different version of what happened to the Morales entourage. All agree that the Bolivian presidential jet was required to land in Austria to refuel, after being told it could not pass through airspace over Portugal or France. The crew and passengers remained in Vienna overnight, and before leaving the next day Austrian immigration officials asked for permission to search the plane, which president Morales granted. Whether the aircraft's departure was conditioned on a search of the cabin remains unclear.
In March 2012 president Morales threatened to close the U.S. embassy in La Paza, accusing unnamed American officials of engaging in espionage against Bolivia. Three years before that, in 2009, he claimed "the CIA tried to hack my Twitter account." During an International Workers Day speech on May 1, Morales announced the United States Agency for International Development would be kicked out immediately. Turning to his foreign minister Morales said, "You will notify the U.S. embassy promptly, Mr. Choquehuanca." Bolivian president Morales expels "subversive" USAID.
President Morales harshly criticized U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in that speech, claiming that Kerry had referred to all of Latin America as "the United States' backyard." The Obama administration said Kerry's remark had been misunderstood.
Today's events will likely increase tensions between the U.S. and Bolivia, neither of which has had a full ambassador in the other's capital for almost five years.
July 3 - Angry South American leaders are having a "Twitter summit" this morning to comment on president Morales undignified treatment on his return home from Moscow. Even Argentina's Cristina Fernández de Kirchner - not a radical voice by any means - is weighing in.
July 3 - Speaking to the international press today just before departing Vienna, Morales left no doubt where his wrath is ultimately directed:
"Lo sucedido es un pretexto con el que EE.UU. y sus socios europeos pretenden amedrentarnos y escarmentarnos por nuestras políticas. Un pretexto sobre todo para tratar de acallarnos en una lucha contra las políticas económicas de saqueo, contra las invasiones, contra políticas de dominación y de intervención.
"What happened is an excuse by the United States and its European partners to terrorize us and punish us because of our political policies. An effort above all to try to silence us in our battle against economic policies which plunder (poor nations), against incursions (into other countries), and against the politics of domination and intervention."
July 3 - Bolivia has filed a formal complaint with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, claiming that the conduct of several European countries yesterday violated international law. The La Paz government insists the events were "orchestrated by the United States."
July 6 - Bolivia joins the crowd: Morales offers Snowden asylum
July 5 - Venezuela offers Snowden "humanitarian asylum"
July 5 - Nicaragua "disposed to accept" Edward Snowden
July 5 - Evo Morales: "We will close the U.S. embassy in La Paz"
July 4 - Nicolás Maduro rejects U.S. request on Snowden
July 4 - Mexico solidly backs Bolivia on Evo Morales grounding
Sept. 19, 2011 - Bolivia's Evo Morales condemns United States at Havana ceremony
© MGRR 2013. All rights reserved. This article may be cited or briefly quoted with proper attribution or a hyperlink, but not reproduced without permission.
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