11:02 | Lima, Jul. 05 (ANDINA).
European Union Parliament President Martin Schulz today called ridiculous and unacceptable the treatment given to Bolivian President Evo Morales by some countries of this region, who banned his airplane to fly over their air space.
Schulz said in Madrid that they would have to verify who gave the orders to carry out such act, in a clear reference to France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain's decision of cancelling abruptly flight permits for Morales' presidential airplane.
European countries must respect the international law, warned the European Union Parliament president in a press conference in this capital, before meeting with the president of the Spanish government Mariano Rajoy on Friday.
The cancellation of those flight permits, previously given by the involved nations, forced the South American head of State's airplane to land in Vienna, Austria, where he was retained more than 14 hours.
The presidential airplane, which was returning from Russia to Bolivia on Tuesday, could not fly over or land in those countries of the European Union, under the pretext that it was carrying CIA former agent Edward Snowden, a point that was denied by Austrian authorities.
The plane could finally leave the airport in Vienna the next day, once Spain authorized a refueling stop in the Canary Islands, Prensa Latina reported today.
The incident caused a diplomatic crisis with Latin America, whose heads of State demanded explanations and apologies to Europe on Friday for an act they called unusual, unfriendly, and hostile not only with Bolivia, but also with the rest of the Latin American nations.
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Published: 7/5/2013