Latest BBC headline: Snowden case: France apologises in Bolivia plane row. Then this, further down the article:The French foreign ministry issued a statement on the incident. Ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said: “The foreign minister called his Bolivian counterpart to tell him about France’s regrets after the incident caused by the late confirmation of permission for President Morales’ plane to fly over [French] territory.”
In diplomatic language, “regrets” mean something very specific. It means that you are saddened by what happened, even though you had no responsibility for it. “Apologies” mean that you did something wrong and that you accept the fault and responsibility for it.
So far, the French have only expressed “regrets”. So?! The governments of New Zealand, Togo and Finland could also express “regrets”. In essence, such an admission is meaningless. Later, if the proverbial bovine excreta really hits the fan, the French might also apologize, but for the BBC to lump these two concepts into one is absolutely ridiculous.
We will see that UNASUR decides tomorrow. My personal recommendation would be for all the countries of Latin America to jointly expel the French, Italian and Portuguese ambassadors and let them return only if they present an official and total apology.
But, of course, nobody asked me :-)
The Saker
Perhaps now the UNASUR nations will have a tug-of-war over which nation has the privilege of hosting the freedom hero.
Hello Saker,
Totally agree with you friend and as a latinamerican I feel really offended of this serious criminal attitude, the authorities of this several European countries impeding the free movement in their airspace of President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, was and is equivalent to a kidnapping. The president’s aircraft were in danger of running out of fuel in flight, was forced to an emergency landing in Vienna, where Evo had to stay 14 hours as a virtual hostage of the Pax Americana that is being pushed around the world since 9/11 . Although Barak Obama has surpassed his predecessor in building a militarized police state and around the world.
A presidential plane is considered sovereign territory of the country according to customary international law. So the prohibition of France, Portugal and Italy to fly over its territory or land the plane he was traveling Bolivian president is a fact doubly criminal, discriminatory and violates international law.
These governments initially tried to shield their illegal conduct following blatant lies to the Bolivian authorities and the media, but the whole world knows who is behind the stupidity to believe that the president’s plane could carry on board a former member of the intelligence services Yankees Edward Snowden, and panic to the possible U.S. reaction. François Hollande in fact confirmed when he said that France authorized the flyover after making sure that the former spy was not on the plane.
It is sad that this so called democracies are acting this way specially when everybody know they were part of the illegal CIA airplanes traveling to secret locations with passengers that were going to be tortured is this not sick? bastard Hollande, Mariano Rajoy !!! this is getting so sick…
Best to you friend
They all should ask for an apology otherwise all american countries will have to make something big to make sure this will not happen again
I confess I’m disappointed Putin didn’t issue a condemnation, or that the relative ambassadors were not called in for a dressing down. Morales was his guest and travelling from Moscow.
Russian state department issued a statement. Saying that it was an unfriendly act not only towards Bolivia but also towards Russian Federation
Туманая весьма история с самолетом Моралеса
И европцы выглядят полными даунами
Еще до взлета самолета на 90% , если не больше было понятно, что Сноудена там нет.
Просто, хотя бы потому, что самолет из МОСКВЫ вылетел. Не стали бы мы так подставляться. Несолидно… уже для нас теперешних так мельтешить… В казаки-разбойники… Подпольно, на президентский борт тушку грузить. Захотели бы переправить в Боливию или еще куда сделали бы это совершенно официально и хрен бы кто пикнул
@anonymous13:30: И европцы выглядят полными даунами
Полный позор у Амеров так бегать шестерками и тупо выполнять любые приказы.
Захотели бы переправить в Боливию или еще куда сделали бы это совершенно официально и хрен бы кто пикнул
Если борт российский то да, а если боливийский? Не уверен. Уж больно разнаглели пиндосы.
Если борт российский то да, а если боливийский? Не уверен. Уж больно разнаглели пиндосы.
Так повторяю- борт вышел из МОСКВЫ.Наш МИД: “Действия властей Франции, Испании и Португалии едва ли можно рассматривать как дружественные по отношению к Боливии, а также России, из которой Президент Э.Моралес следовал по завершении визита в Москву.”
http://www.mid.ru/brp_4.nsf/newsline/26423DEDC5797FD744257B9E002E3D48
Перевожу на человеческий— Россия может считать себя не связанной обязательствами по договорам в отношении предоставления воздушного пространства самолетам, следующим из Италии, Португалии и Франции. То есть в любой момент можем сказать борту “вали откуда пришел”. Иногда лучше жевать чем говорить