Emergency UNASUR meeting Thursday over Evo Morales plane being denied air space in Europe

[Catherina]

Last edited Wed Jul 3, 2013, 11:38 PM - Edit history (1)

The meeting was called a few hours ago, in the middle of the night. See related thread Pres Morales: "NO You can NOT inspect my aircraft!" Emergency UNASUR meeting. Hague Tribunal? if interested.

2m ago

Latin American presidents plan an emergency meeting today to discuss the diversion to Austria of a plane carrying Bolivian President Evo Morales, the Bolivian ambassador to the United Nations has said (via Reuters).

The Bolivian plane, which was taking Morales home from Moscow, was stranded and searched in Vienna on suspicion that it might be carrying fugitive US intelligence analyst Edward Snowden. A search determined that Snowden was not onboard and the plane eventually left Vienna about noon on Wednesday.

"We have been told that an emergency meeting of Unasur (Union of South American Nations) is going to be held today," Sacha Llorenti Soliz told reporters in Geneva on Wednesday. No time for the meeting was mentioned.

"What's at stake here is ... the dignity of Bolivia and the dignity of Latin America," he said, adding that the presidents of Peru, Ecuador and Argentina had all spoken with Morales about the incident.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos told a news conference in Geneva that he had not received any request for such a meeting.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/03/edward-snowden-asylum-live#block-51d420b0e4b06ee79885ed57

No shit Santos. That incident is suspected to be a NATO operation and everyone knows what your loyalties and NATO collaboration are.

This may get messy.

Edit, the formal meeting is tomorrow.

[ocpagu]

1. As usual, US demands, Europe bends...

I expected Portugal to deny air space. Surprised the lack of moral spine by the French government, though.

Let's see what UNASUR will do.

[Bacchus4.0]

2. I expect UNASUR to issue a strong condemnation of this incident

probably followed by a declaration of war by Bolivia on Austria, and an invasion of the Iberian peninsula by the ALBA armada.

[ocpagu]

3. Yeah, sure... because ALBA is so belligerent...

I still remember when they were killing each other like savage beasts some 70 years ago during World War II... oh, wait... it happened in the civilized, developed, advanced, enlighted Europe.

[Bacchus4.0]

4. they are saying that Venezuela is going to stop importing toilet paper

Bolivia is going to stop exporting llamas, and Brazil is canceling the World Cup in response to this "agression"

[ocpagu]

5. Why not?

At least there was a real fact behind it. I'd be more worried if they just faked the existence of WMD somewhere else to justify a war... you know, like in Iraq.

[Bacchus4.0]

6. oh, since this is a fact rather than a fuck up

South American nations will now invade Europe. I imagine this will give Argentina an excuse to invade the Falklands.


I think its more likely that UNASUR will issue a harshly written meaningless statement and the silliness will come to an end. What say you?

[ocpagu]

7. Right-wingers will always see wars, invasions, bombs and attacks as the only options on the table.

They are likely to dismiss diplomacy as "harshly written meaningless statement", since they have no idea of what diplomacy is.

[Bacchus4.0]

8. is that right? So the harshly written meaningless statement that will come from UNASUR

will actually be of great diplomatic magnitude that will shake the world?

[ocpagu]

9. Dude, I don't care what you think about UNASUR and the "magnitude" of its diplomatic actions...

I don't care if the statement will shake the world or not. I want UNASUR to voice condemnation. Period. How OTHER PEOPLE will respond to that is irrelevant to me.

[Judi Lynn]

12. How pathetic. Unasur makes a big difference to the Americas. n/t

[Bacchus4.0]

15. really? n/t

s

[ocpagu]

16. Certainly.

It is much more influent than the US in the continent, for example.

[Bacchus4.0]

17. I hear they just issued a strongly worded statement n/t

s

[ocpagu]

18. Yep.

Why? What were you expecting them to make? Declare a war over denying air space? It's more legitimate than declaring a war to steal oil, but even so...

[Bacchus4.0]

19. I predicted they would issue a strongly worded statement

so I assume thats the end of it. Maybe they will throw out an ambassador or two?

[ocpagu]

20. And your point is? n/t

[Bacchus4.0]

21. I was correct thats all

I don't expect much more from this, do you?

[Judi Lynn]

22. Disruption of a message board for progressives. Sad, isn't it? n/t

[Judi Lynn]

13. Our idiot right-wingers think acting like a civilized human being is for sissies. n/t

[Mojorabbit]

26. I don't think the people will forget and that may be important down the road. nt

[Catherina]

10. I wasn't expecting this kind of overt aggression

and persistent masochistic temerity to make fools of ourselves. Evo Morales just landed in Bolivia. People are throwing flowers petals and putting leis around his neck lol.

[Judi Lynn]

11. I've seen photos of him wearing that after he won re-election!

[center]

The green leaves are coca leaves. Woohoo. [/center]
He's a president people would be proud to have.

[Judi Lynn]

14. Here's a photo from tonight, at the airport:

[center][/center]
Looks as if they threw confetti, too!

[Judi Lynn]

23. Spain's "El Pais" editorial: Intolerable treatment

Intolerable treatment

The diversion of Evo Morales’ plane reveals European weakness in the face of US pressure

El País 4 JUL 2013 - 20:36 CET

After being held up in the airport of Vienna for more than 13 hours, the presidential airplane of Evo Morales was finally able to resume its flight to Bolivia on Wednesday, after a stopover in the Canary Islands, in an episode whose grotesque aspects should not obscure the political ones: a diplomatic crisis based on a gratuitous humiliation inflicted upon a head of state.

The plane carrying the Bolivian president, who had been in Moscow to attend a meeting of gas-producing countries, had to land in the Austrian capital because several countries had refused permission to utilize their airspace on the flight back to Bolivia. The reason? The mere suspicion that the former US National Security Agency analyst, Edward Snowden, wanted in his country for having blown the whistle on its massive espionage practices, might be traveling aboard.

The delay was rightly considered an intolerable affront, and Morales received immediate expressions of support from other Latin American countries — Argentina, Ecuador, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Chile, Uruguay and others. Though the Bolivian vice president, Álvaro García Linera, exaggerated when he declared that Evo was being “held hostage” in Europe and that his life had been put in danger, it is true that there is no precedent for this sort of treatment, which contravenes all the treaties and rules of international diplomacy that accord immunity to the planes in which heads of state are traveling.

The fact is that the pursuit of a person wanted by the American justice system has led various governments to trample all over these rules and treaties. And behind this behavior stands the huge pressure exerted by the United States on its European friends and allies to secure Snowden’s detention, and the shameful ease with which many of them have bowed to these pressures, in contrast with the caution and timidity these same states have shown when it comes to defending their own citizens against the US secret services’ massive interference in their communications — both those of private individuals and public organizations and news media.

More:
http://elpais.com/elpais/2013/07/04/inenglish/1372962590_018332.html

[Judi Lynn]

24. Latin Bloc Condemns Hostile Acts Against Bolivian President

Latin Bloc Condemns Hostile Acts Against Bolivian President

LIMA, July 4 (BERNAMA-NNN-ANDINA) -- The Union of South American Nations (Unasur) has criticised European governments for barring Bolivian President Evo Morales' plane from their airspace.

Morales was flying back to Bolivia from Moscow when the plane was diverted to Vienna, Austria, over suspicions that fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden might be on board.

In a statement, the Unasur group expressed "its indignation and a profound rejection of the unfriendly and unjustifiable acts that put at risk the safety of the Bolivian head of state and his team."

The Unasur, whose rotating presidency is held by Peru, is also demanding more information about the event.

More:
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/wn/newsworld.php?id=960913

[Catherina]

25. UNASUR coverage live right now

http://www.telesurtv.net/el-canal/senal-en-vivo

US, you done fucked up. Now everyone knows who Snowden is, what he warned about, and how out of control our government is. The US might as well have mailed Snowden's slides to everyone in Latin America because now EVERYONE knows and is pissed off.

[Bacchus4.0]

27. why is Manuro dressed like one of the Village People? n/t

s

[Judi Lynn]

28. May be that his hat indicates solidarity with the ones just like it

in the audience. Or may it's just his favorite hat to protect his head from the shitstorm from the North.

[Bacchus4.0]

30. or maybe he shits in it since he doesn't have any toilet paper n/t

s

[Judi Lynn]

31. I can't see it, personally. n/t

[Bacchus4.0]

32. you didn't see the crap coming out of his mouth? n/t

s

[Judi Lynn]

29. The small image of Cristina in the corner shows she was also wearing

garlands of white flowers and coca leaves, too, at the airport. Nice.