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28 March 2024

Snowden still in Moscow despite Bolivian drama

Published
By Reuters

Bolivia accused the UnitedStates on Wednesday of trying to "kidnap" its president, EvoMorales, after his plane was denied permission to fly over someEuropean countries on suspicion he was taking fugitive formerU.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden to Latin America.

Bolivia said the incident, in which the plane was deniedpermission to fly over France and Portugal before making a stopin Vienna, was an act of aggression and a violation ofinternational law.

Snowden was not on the plane when it landed in Vienna, anAustrian official said. He is believed to be stranded in thetransit lounge of a Moscow airport and the United States hasbeen trying to get its hands on him since he revealed details ofits secret surveillance programmes last month.

The White House declined to comment on the Bolivianassertion.

Latin American countries were also fuming over the planeincident, with heads of state in the 12-nation South Americanbloc Unasur denouncing the "unfriendly and unjustifiable acts".

The bloc said a group of leaders from member countries wouldhold an emergency summit in Bolivia on Thursday to discuss thematter. Unasur includes close leftist allies of Bolivia likeVenezuela, Ecuador and Argentina as well as more centristgovernments like those in Chile and Brazil.

The furore was the latest twist in a saga that has raiseddebate over the balance between privacy rights and nationalsecurity. Revelations of U.S. surveillance on European countrieshave also strained transatlantic relations.

France said on Wednesday that free-trade talks between theEuropean Union and the United States should be delayed by twoweeks given tensions over media reports, stemming from theSnowden case, that Washington is spying on the 28-nation bloc.

U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor AngelaMerkel agreed on Wednesday to hold talks between their securityofficials in coming days on U.S. surveillance activities andsecurity issues.

'NO ONE ELSE ON BOARD'

The Bolivian plane was taking Morales home from an energyconference in Moscow when it landed at Vienna airport on Tuesdayevening. Austrian Deputy Chancellor Michael Spindelegger saidMorales personally denied that Snowden was aboard his jet andagreed to a voluntary inspection.

"Based on this invitation from Bolivia, a colleague boardedthe plane, looked at everything and there was no one else onboard," Spindelegger told reporters.

But Bolivian Defence Minister Ruben Saavedra said Morales'plane was not searched because Morales had refused Austrianauthorities entry.

Bolivia's ambassador to the United Nations, Sacha LlorentiSoliz, expressed outrage at the chain of events.

"We're talking about the president on an official trip afteran official summit being kidnapped," he said in Geneva.

"We have no doubt that it was an order from the White House.By no means should a diplomatic plane with the president bediverted from its route and forced to land in another country."

Morales' plane eventually left Vienna and landed in Spain'sCanary Islands for refuelling before heading back to Bolivia.Morales was expected back in Bolivia Wednesday night.

The Bolivian government said it had filed a formal complaintwith the United Nations and was studying other legal avenues toprove its rights had been violated under international law.

The United Nations said in a statement that thesecretary-general understood the Bolivian government's concernsand urged the countries concerned to discuss the matter.

The Obama administration has advised foreign governmentsthat allowing Snowden to land on their territory could seriouslydamage their relations with the United States, U.S. and Europeannational security sources said.

The sources said the administration believed such lobbyingplayed a role in persuading countries to which Snowden hadapplied for asylum to reject or not respond to his bid. TheUnited States believes its diplomacy also has caused countrieswhose leaders publicly expressed sympathy for Snowden to havesecond thoughts about the matter in private, they said.

A spokesman at France's Foreign Ministry blamed the incident on "an administrative mishap," saying France never intended toban Morales from its airspace and that there were delays ingetting confirmation that the plane had fly-over permits.

International agreements allow civilian airplanes to overflycountries without obtaining permission before every flight. Butstate aircraft, including Air Force One, which carries the U.S.president, must obtain clearance before they cross into foreignterritory.

DEMANDING AN EXPLANATION

The treatment of the Bolivian military aircraft hit a nervein Latin America, which has a history of U.S.-backed coups.

In a statement from Peru's government, which holds thegroup's presidency, Unasur expressed outrage and indignationthat the plane was not allowed to land in Portugal and France.

"(These are) vestiges of a colonialism that we thought were long over. We believe this constitutes not only the humiliationof a sister nation but of all South America," ArgentinePresident Cristina Kirchner said in a speech in Buenos Aires.

"Latin America demands an explanation," tweeted EcuadoreanPresident Rafael Correa. "If what happened to Evo does not merita Unasur summit, I don't know what does."

In the Bolivian capital, La Paz, the U.S. Embassy said lateon Wednesday its Independence Day party on Thursday had been putoff "until further notice."

Bolivia is among more than a dozen countries where Snowdenhas sought asylum and Morales has said he would considergranting the American refuge. But he said earlier this week norequest had been made.

The 30-year-old Snowden, who worked for the NationalSecurity Agency as a contractor in Hawaii, has been trying sinceJune 23 to find a country that will offer him refuge fromprosecution in the United States on espionage charges.

But his options have narrowed since he arrived in Moscowfrom Hong Kong with no valid travel documents after the UnitedStates revoked his passport.

Five countries have rejected granting Snowden asylum, sevenhave said they would consider a request if made on their soil,and eight said they had either not made a decision or notreceived a request.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is unwilling to sendSnowden to the United States, with which Russia has noextradition treaty. But he is also reluctant to damage ties overa man for whom Putin, a former KGB spy, has little sympathy.