Bolivian President Evo Morales’ aircraft was reportedly diverted from Russia to Vienna on Tuesday over suspicions of National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden onboard.
While officials in Austria and Bolivia denied Snowden’s presence after France and Portugal refused to let it cross their airspace, an irked Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca said that the authorities do not know who raised the false alarm adding that Bolivia denounces to the international community this injustice with the President’s plane, Fox News reports.
Choquehuanca further said that France and Portugal had put the life of the Bolivian president at risk by denying crossing their airspace.
Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Schallenberg said that Snowden was not with Morales.
According to the report, Morales had earlier said that Bolivia is willing to grant political asylum to Snowden.
The only way out for Snowden from Moscow airport’s transit area is when a nation is ready to issue him travel documents after risking ties with the US, which appears to be a thin possibility after US authorities have reportedly pressurised governments rights from Russia, China and Ecuador.
China, India, Brazil and Poland are among those nations which have turned down Snowden’s asylum requests while Russia has put a condition that it will grant asylum when Snowden stops damaging ‘American partners’ by revelations, which Snowden insists will continue to do for larger public interest.
Image: The Bolivian presidential airplane is parked at the Vienna International Airport in Schwechat July 3, 2013.
Photograph: Reuters
