France issues weasel apology to Bolivia
Last edited Thu Jul 4, 2013, 08:55 AM - Edit history (2)
The OAS is demanding answers. UNASUR is still in a meeting but their reaction will be firm.This weasel *apology* is a small step up from the total lies France was telling last night using *anonymous officials* who could not reveal their names *due to department policy* blah blah to deny that they had refused permission to fly over their airspace. It's still not an honest apology and I hope Bolivia and UNASUR pursue this. I made an OP on this to cut down on the pathetic talking point that this was all in President Morales' imagination, or that he had to land because he was out of fuel. Shame on anyone dishonest enough to repeat those untruths when the information has been repeatedly presented.
Bolivian protesters threw stones at the French embassy in La Paz and burned the French and European flags
France has apologised to Bolivia for refusing to allow President Evo Morales' jet into its airspace, blaming "conflicting information".
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Speaking in Berlin, French President Francois Hollande said he granted permission as soon as he knew it was Mr Morales' plane.
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The French foreign ministry issued a statement on the incident.
Ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said: "The foreign minister called his Bolivian counterpart to tell him about France's regrets after the incident caused by the late confirmation of permission for President Morales' plane to fly over (French) territory."
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Demonstrators marched on the French embassy in La Paz, burning the French flag and demanding the expulsion of the ambassador to Bolivia.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23174874
Fabius “expressed France’s regrets following the temporary problems that occurred for President Morales because of delays in confirming authorization to fly over (French) territory.”
http://globalnews.ca/news/688968/bolivia-plane-incident-infuriates-latin-america/
AFP | Jul 4, 2013, 04.08 AM IST
PARIS: France told Bolivia Wednesday it was sorry that President Evo Morales' jet was refused entry into French airspace forcing it to make an unscheduled stopover in Vienna.
"The foreign minister called his Bolivian counterpart to tell him about France's regrets after the incident caused by the late confirmation of permission for President Morales' plane to fly over (French) territory," said ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot in a statement. The flight from Moscow was diverted late Tuesday to Vienna on suspicion it was harbouring fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, who is wanted by the United States.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/France-regrets-refusing-Bolivian-president-airspace-entry-Ministry/articleshow/20903826.cms
UPDATE to add official French Statement:
3 July 2013 - Bolivia / Plane permission to fly over French territory
Statement by the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The minister of foreign affairs telephoned his Bolivian counterpart to extend to him France’s apologies following the setback experienced by President Morales as a result of the delay in granting the president’s plane permission to fly over French territory. He provided him with the necessary clarifications regarding this incident.
He underscored that the authorization to fly over French territory was granted as soon as the French authorities had been informed that the aircraft in question was that of President Morales. He also indicated to him that there had, of course, never been any intention of refusing President Morales’s plane access to our airspace; President Morales is always welcome in our country.
Our relations with Bolivia are marked by trust and friendship. President Morales’s visit to France in March, marked by a very friendly meeting with President Hollande, provided an opportunity to underscore our shared political determination to give new impetus to the partnership between our two countries. In that spirit, the two ministers expressed their determination to continue strengthening French-Bolivian relations.
http://www.franceonu.org/france-at-the-united-nations/un-express-922/article/3-july-2013-bolivia-plane
Such Bullshit. How many HOURS does it take French intel to find out that was a Presidential jet? Especially when Latin American heads of state were calling their European counterparts all night?
= new reply since forum marked as read
Some folks have head fully in sand
...for anyone who's genuinely interested. Notice it turned back to Vienna shortly before reaching Italian airspace (red line, lower left corner, is the Italian border with Austria; FAB1 marker is the landing at Vienna). Italy was the first overfly country that denied the Bolivian President's plane access to its airspace. France, Spain and Portugal also denied access; they were the following three countries the plane had to overfly to reach its refueling stop in the Canary Islands.
You can also replay the flight here. Speed it up using the control at the bottom.
http://www.flightradar24.com/2013-07-02/16:37/48x/48.11,16.58/7#!/2013-07-02/16:35/FAB1
The flight takes off from Moscow at 16:35. At roughly 18:50 it passes Vienna. 20 minutes or so later at around 19:10, it suddenly turns back, and it lands in Vienna at approximately 22:00. Please note those times. The plane turned back around 20 minutes after passing Vienna, but it's a good 45 minutes before it lands. What was it doing for that additional time? Circling Vienna, waiting for a slot to land. And probably becoming very worried that Austria too would refuse access.
Now, some are making much about the conversation between the Vienna ATC and the pilot about a fuel indicator problem. If you listen to the entire 2:17 recording, it becomes obvious that this conversation occurred just before ATC gives landing instructions and the runway number. That's done on approach, not miles and miles out. Vienna ATC would have had further contact with the pilot beforehand seeing as the plane was circling in its airspace, but we don't hear any of that. It's only the 2:17 minutes just before landing that was recorded, and it's within that time that the fuel indicator problem is first raised. In fact, it was this flight precaution that prompted Vienna to clear the decks and land the plane asap. (It would also preclude Vienna from denying landing rights; a plane in trouble is given priority.)
I hate to inject logic into the discussion, but at one time DU was known for its ability to separate the wheat from the chaff. I'm sorry to say that there's some objectivity lacking nowadays, simply because we have a Dem in the WH.
So I was told here?
Freedom fries for everybody!
Affaire Snowden : Paris présente ses "regrets" pour l'escale forcée du président bolivien
Le Monde | 03.07.2013 à 05h58 • Mis à jour le 03.07.2013 à 22h32
The 13-hour forced landing of the plane of the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, in Vienna after four European countries (France, Portugal, Spain and Italy) refused to open their airspace, raises the ire of Bolivians and a wave of protest from South American governments.
In reprisals, the Bolivian Parliament is going to, among other things, request the expulstion of the French, Portugues and Italian Ambassadors from the country.
En représailles, le Parlement bolivien va en outre demander l'expulsion du pays des ambassadeurs de France, du Portugal et d'Italie.
http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2013/07/03/une-rumeur-sur-snowden-provoque-une-crise-diplomatique-entre-paris-et-la-paz_3440849_3222.html
Still weasel phrasing. They didn't "refuse to open their airspace" as if it was a last minute request. They rescinded authorization to fly into that airspace. Big difference.
The masks fell to the floor and they're flailing in picking them up again.
I can't find the complete statement yet.
Thanks
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