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According to AP, it turns out Bolivia's president was not denied entry into France and Spain, officials say.[0] As to why Bolivia would make such a claim, they

• jonmrodriguez 13y ago
  Could it be that the US is trying to spin this by pressuring France and Spain to delete the radio record and say that Bolivia made it up? Do we know of any third-party pilots or ground stations who would have heard and recorded the radio comms?
  • Svip 13y ago
    No. In fact, we have only heard through Bolivian officials so far. Even the Austrians relied on the Bolivian statements.
    • patrickk 13y ago
      Unconfirmed audio (which was linked to in the Guardians live stream[1]): http://audioboo.fm/boos/1482009-bolivia-air-force-fuerza-aerea-boliviana-fab001-flight-precaution-landing-vienna-austria http://audioboo.fm/boos/1482009-bolivia-air-force-fuerza-aer... [1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/03/edward-snowden-asylum-live#block-51d3eba3e4b0e80ab6523aa8 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/03/edward-snowden-a...
• vidarh 13y ago
  According to the article, it is not nearly that clear. Regarding France: 'French government spokeswoman Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said "France ended up authorizing the flight over its airspace by Mr. Morales' plane." She said the plane "was authorized to fly over French territory" but wouldn't explain whether there had been an initial refusal Tuesday night amid the rumors about Snowden's presence on the plane.' It is funny how language use always gets so murky in these situations. It would be very easy for them to say "We did not refuse the flight last night. Here are the recordings of conversations with air traffic control that proves it". But apparently they can't even confirm whether or not they authorised the flight before or after it had turned back to Vienna... Regarding Portugal: 'The Portuguese Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that Portugal had granted permission for the plane to fly through its air space but declined Bolivia's request for a refueling stop in Lisbon due to unspecified technical reasons' "Technical reasons"? I somehow doubt that Lisbon does not have sufficient capacity to handle an extra plane. And it gets rather academic to grant permission for them to fly through knowing they won't be able to safely continue without knowing they have somewhere to refuel... Regarding Spain: 'Bolivia said Spain agreed to allow the plane to refuel in the Canary Islands—but only if Bolivian authorities allowed it to be inspected. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo denied Wednesday that his country demanded an inspection of the Bolivian plane. Speaking in Berlin, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said authorization was given for the plane to stop and refuel in Spain's Canary Islands but that it was important Snowden was not aboard. He said the debate was "a little artificial."' So, they were allegedly "allowed" but with some murky, unclear comments that served no purpose unless they are implying there were terms attached. Morales further claims he was approached by the Spanish ambassador in Vienna who allegedly wanted to come aboard the plane with him, and that Morales interpreted it as an excuse to inspect the plane. Makes the whole thing sound to me like Spanish authorities might not technically have refused, but may for example have strongly suggested that "problems" with permits to continue in the right direction might occur if Bolivia did not voluntarily allow someone on board to have a look, or something to that effect. Everyone involved seems to be very concerned about using language that leaves lots of room for them to have actively obstructed the flight, even in their supposed "denials".