Jul 12, 2013
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."
LaRazon 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.
_______________________
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
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."
LaRazon 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.
_______________________
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."
LaRazon 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.
_______________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.