Russia criticizes three EU countries for delaying Bolivian leader's plane

        
Bolivian President Evo Morales called the rerouting of his plane over suspicions that National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden was aboard a provocation to Latin America and urged European countries to "free themselves" from the United States.                    

His presidential plane arrived home in Bolivia's capital late Wednesday night following an unplanned 14-hour layover in Vienna. His government said France, Spain and Portugal all refused to let it through their airspace, forcing it to land in Austria. He had been flying home from a summit in Russia.                

Bolivian government officials have repeatedly said they believe that Washington was behind the incident.                      

Morales, a leftist, has long been a fierce critic of U.S. policy toward Latin America and had suggested while in Russia that he was be willing to consider giving Snowden asylum in Bolivia.                        
This as Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said that the presidents of Argentina, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Suriname and possibly Uruguay will attend meeting in Cochabamba, Bolivia, on Thursday to discuss the matter.              

Bolivia said earlier it also would summon the French and Italian ambassadors and the Portuguese consul to demand explanations.               

However it's still unclear whether European countries did block the plane and, if so, why. French, Spanish and Portuguese officials have all said the plane was allowed to cross their territory.                  

The emergency stop in Austria may have been caused by a dispute over where the plane could refuel and whether European authorities could inspect it for signs of Snowden.                 
The U.S. declined to comment on whether it was involved in any decision to close European airspace, saying only that "US officials have been in touch with a broad range of countries over the course of the last 10  days," about the Snowden case.                      

Snowden himself remains out of public view, believed to be stuck in a Moscow airport transit area, seeking asylum from one of more than a dozen countries.      
                 
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Russia criticized France, Spain and Portugal on Thursday for delaying the Bolivian president's flight home from Moscow this week over suspicions that former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden was on board.        

There is no evidence Snowden was on board and, after the initial refusals to let the plane enter the European Union member states' airspace, President Evo Morales was able to fly home on Wednesday after a forced stopover in Austria.        

"The actions of the authorities of France, Spain and Portugal could hardly be considered friendly actions towards Bolivia ... Russia calls on the international community to comply strictly with international legal principles," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.


AP/REUTERS