UNASUR to hold emergency summit over ’virtual kidnapping’ of Bolivian president
Following refusal by countries in Europe, including France, Portugal
and Spain to grant the Bolivian head of state’s aircraft entry into
their airspace, a group of South American nations is set to hold an
emergency summit on Thursday. The meeting of the 12-nation UNASUR bloc
will be held in Cochabamba, Bolivia, with the presidents of six nations
confirming their attendance so far, including Bolivia, Ecuador,
Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay and Suriname. President Evo Morales was en
route to the capital of La Paz from an energy summit in Russia when his
plane was forcefully rerouted to Austria on Wednesday, due to
suspicions that NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden was being on board.
Morales refuted speculation that Snowden had stowed away on the plane,
with Austrian officials later confirming his absence. Several days
earlier, Morales had indicated that a request for asylum for Edward
Snowden would be considered. The move to detain the presidential plane
triggered a wave of furious rhetoric from Latin American leaders who
alleged it had been “kidnapped by imperialism.” “This is an excuse to
try and frighten, intimidate and punish me. An excuse to try and gag us
in the fight against the dominant economic powers,” said Morales.