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Bolivian President Evo Morales arrived home to a hero’s welcome late on Wednesday, saying that some European countries’ refusal to let his plane enter their airspace because of suspicion it carried fugitive US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden was a provocation aimed at all of South America. |
Morales was greeted by his cabinet ministers and cheering, fist-pumping crowds at La Paz’s airport after a dramatic journey from Moscow that ignited a diplomatic furore when his plane had to make an unscheduled stop in Vienna on Tuesday.
“This was an open provocation toward a continent, not just a president,” said Morales, his hair strewn with flower petals thrown by people in traditional Andean garb. “North American imperialism uses its people to terrify and intimidate us. I just want to say they will never frighten us because we are a people of dignity and sovereignty.”
Other Latin American leaders were also fuming over the plane incident, with heads of state in the 12-nation South American bloc Unasur denouncing the “unfriendly and unjustifiable acts”.
The bloc said a group of leaders from member countries would hold an emergency summit in Bolivia to discuss the matter.
Unasur includes close leftist allies of Bolivia like Venezuela, Ecuador and Argentina as well as more centrist governments like those in Chile and Brazil.
Earlier on Wednesday, Bolivia accused the US of trying to “kidnap” Morales, after his plane was denied permission to fly over France and Portugal.
The Bolivian government said it had filed a formal complaint with the UN and was studying other legal avenues to prove its rights had been violated under international law.
Bolivia’s ambassador to the UN, Sacha Llorenti Soliz, said: “We have no doubt that it was an order from the White House. By no means should a diplomatic plane with the president be diverted from its route and forced to land in another country.”
The White House declined to comment on the Bolivian allegations.
The Bolivian plane was taking Morales home from an energy conference in Moscow when it landed at Vienna airport.
Austrian Deputy Chancellor Michael Spindelegger said Morales personally denied that Snowden was aboard his jet and agreed to a voluntary inspection.
“Based on this invitation from Bolivia, a colleague boarded the plane, looked at everything and there was no one else on board,” Spindelegger told reporters.
But Bolivian Defence Minister Ruben Saavedra said Morales’ plane was not searched because Morales had refused Austrian authorities entry.
Morales’ plane eventually left Vienna and landed in Spain’s Canary Islands for refuelling before heading back to Bolivia.