The countries of Mercosur—Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Venezuela—have agreed to recall their ambassadors from Spain, France, Italy and Portugal after the "aggression" faced by Bolivian President Evo Morales.
The countries announced their decision at a summit in Montevideo, Uruguay on Friday.
Earlier this month, a plane carrying Morales from Moscow to La Paz was forced to land in Vienna where it remained for 13 hours over suspicions that it was carrying NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Spain, France, Italy and Portugal were linked to the airspace blockade that forced the plane's reroute and delay.
The Mercosur countries also said they would be sending the European countries a joint note of formal protest "demanding explanations and excuses for the situation suffered by President Evo Morales."
In the morning, Luis Almagro, Uruguay's foreign minister said that the block felt that the "excuses the European countries have given up to this point" for the denial of airspace and/or landing of Morales' plane were "insufficient."
La Razón reports that Morales expressed thanks for the signs of solidarity and added that the U.S. should be included on the list for it was the U.S. that was behind the air blockade—which the summit leaders slammed as "a flagrant violation of the precepts of international law."
The chancellor from Argentina, Hector Timerman, said that the Mercosur countries would be "inflexible" in the face of the aggression faced by Morales, as well as the issues of the surveillance and asylum.
_______________________
