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"all the European countries that took measures"
The Spanish minister, José Manuel García-Margallo, was the first European official to give credence to Bolivian President Evo Morales's assertion that several European countries had been pressured to deny his plane flyover rights Tuesday suspicion that Mr. Snowden was on board, headed toward possible asylum...
"We were told…that he was on board. And the reaction of all the European countries that took measures, whether they be right or wrong, were made based on that information," the minister said in an interview on Spanish national television.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323899704578587431973493250.html
"We were told…that he was on board. And the reaction of all the European countries that took measures, whether they be right or wrong, were made based on that information," the minister said in an interview on Spanish national television.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323899704578587431973493250.html
Would you take, "the reaction of all the European countries that took measures... were made based on that information," to mean that a number of European countries did take measures?
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
(Video in Spanish, no subtitles, the quote below is at minute 5:15 where President Morales states what happened after we were told "we could not enter French territory, we were very surprised and decided to make an emergency landing in Vienna Austria"
On July 4, President Evo Morales related how Ambassador Alberto Carnero tried to commandeer his plane to check whether the former U.S. agent Edward Snowden was on the flight.
When Morales's plane landed on Austrian soil emergency, "suddenly appears the Spanish Ambassador to Vienna, Austria (Alberto Carnero) with two individuals from the Embassy of Spain. The first (the ambassador) tells me that we need to check the presidential airplane. I replied: 'Why do you need to check?'. (He answers me) "I've been in constant contact with the vice Vice-Chancellor of Spain". I replied that 'I do not know this gentlemen, I heard on the news reports that he is American agent'.
I told him that 'we are very respectful of international conventions, international agreements. Therefore I am not transporting anyone to Bolivia' I replied to his insinuations that I was transporting Snowden. Then, when I said that, he replied "I will go ask my Vice-Chancellor". He gets up, and leaves his little office where we were at the airport in Vienna, Austria. He returned and said, "No, we have an agreement among "Foreign Ministers to check your airplane". I told him that 'his chancellor had never informed me of this'. I said: 'You can NOT check. If you do not believe me, you are telling me that President Evo is a liar'. I said that '(our) presidents do not lie, and you know, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors cosmic law is now constitutionalized: Ama Sua (do not steal), Ama Llulla (do not lie) and Ama Quella (do not be idle), I not going to lie to anyone.'
(Minute 7:45) The ambassador comes back from asking his Vice Chancellor, and repeats, "you have to invite us into your plane to have a cup of coffee, to have a little coffee so we can check". I said, 'You're treating me like a criminal, only criminals can be checked, and I'm no criminal. And you are not going to inspect the Presidential airplane'. I mean, brothers and sisters, in this time, for them to control us, for them to check our plane ... I could not understand the colonialist mentality'. 'We had no defense (resistance) whatsoever, it was just me and the pilots. If you want to check, you can do so but only by force, we can offer no resistance. It's clear, how could we resist a military or police operation, but the only way to do so is to do it by force. He got scared and did not dare to check by force and then told me he's going to call his Vice-Chancellor again. He came back and said "Would you speak with my Vice-Chancellor?". I said 'no I have nothing to discuss with the Vice-Chancellor. If you want, call your president (Mariano Rajoy) and not his Vice-Chancellor'. And then finally he tells me, after speaking with (his Vice-Chancellor) another time, he tells me at 9 in the morning, " I can't tell you yet if you can leave or not, because we need talk to our friends." Who are these friends of Spain? Well, they have the right to speak their friends but I asked 'who are these friends? Portugal? France? Italy?' He did not say anything. I wonder who these *friends* are. Then, at 9 and 30, or 10 in the morning, he returned and said to me, a little worried, scared and nervous 'You are free to go" and stopped insisting to check (the plane).
"If I had accepted the inspection, we would have been out of there in an hour or two after landing, but we would not give pleasure to Spain, even more so to the the United States, to inspect our plane so we could leave quickly. We have dignity, sovereignty and we are proud of our country, of the Patria Grande and we will never submit to these forms of blackmail sisters and brothers.
When Morales's plane landed on Austrian soil emergency, "suddenly appears the Spanish Ambassador to Vienna, Austria (Alberto Carnero) with two individuals from the Embassy of Spain. The first (the ambassador) tells me that we need to check the presidential airplane. I replied: 'Why do you need to check?'. (He answers me) "I've been in constant contact with the vice Vice-Chancellor of Spain". I replied that 'I do not know this gentlemen, I heard on the news reports that he is American agent'.
I told him that 'we are very respectful of international conventions, international agreements. Therefore I am not transporting anyone to Bolivia' I replied to his insinuations that I was transporting Snowden. Then, when I said that, he replied "I will go ask my Vice-Chancellor". He gets up, and leaves his little office where we were at the airport in Vienna, Austria. He returned and said, "No, we have an agreement among "Foreign Ministers to check your airplane". I told him that 'his chancellor had never informed me of this'. I said: 'You can NOT check. If you do not believe me, you are telling me that President Evo is a liar'. I said that '(our) presidents do not lie, and you know, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors cosmic law is now constitutionalized: Ama Sua (do not steal), Ama Llulla (do not lie) and Ama Quella (do not be idle), I not going to lie to anyone.'
(Minute 7:45) The ambassador comes back from asking his Vice Chancellor, and repeats, "you have to invite us into your plane to have a cup of coffee, to have a little coffee so we can check". I said, 'You're treating me like a criminal, only criminals can be checked, and I'm no criminal. And you are not going to inspect the Presidential airplane'. I mean, brothers and sisters, in this time, for them to control us, for them to check our plane ... I could not understand the colonialist mentality'. 'We had no defense (resistance) whatsoever, it was just me and the pilots. If you want to check, you can do so but only by force, we can offer no resistance. It's clear, how could we resist a military or police operation, but the only way to do so is to do it by force. He got scared and did not dare to check by force and then told me he's going to call his Vice-Chancellor again. He came back and said "Would you speak with my Vice-Chancellor?". I said 'no I have nothing to discuss with the Vice-Chancellor. If you want, call your president (Mariano Rajoy) and not his Vice-Chancellor'. And then finally he tells me, after speaking with (his Vice-Chancellor) another time, he tells me at 9 in the morning, " I can't tell you yet if you can leave or not, because we need talk to our friends." Who are these friends of Spain? Well, they have the right to speak their friends but I asked 'who are these friends? Portugal? France? Italy?' He did not say anything. I wonder who these *friends* are. Then, at 9 and 30, or 10 in the morning, he returned and said to me, a little worried, scared and nervous 'You are free to go" and stopped insisting to check (the plane).
"If I had accepted the inspection, we would have been out of there in an hour or two after landing, but we would not give pleasure to Spain, even more so to the the United States, to inspect our plane so we could leave quickly. We have dignity, sovereignty and we are proud of our country, of the Patria Grande and we will never submit to these forms of blackmail sisters and brothers.
