The little Spanish Bushbot Ambassador who offered Pres. Morales *coffee* as he violated his rights

[struggle4progress]

76. That's Bolivia's interpretation of events

It's not entirely clear to me what happened. The Spanish Foreign Minister and the Bolivian Minister of Defense both say that Spanish airspace was not denied. It's clear Morales believed France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain closed airspace due to suspicions Snowden was on-board; and he was on the phone with over Bolivian officials before the plane landed. So it's credible that somebody had complained to Spain before the plane was on the ground, which could explain why the Spanish ambassador hightailed it to the airport at the end of the day: he may merely have hoped to chat with Morales to smooth matters. According to the Bolivian Minister of Defense, the ambassador never mentioned Snowden and actually said something like he was tired and wondered if Morales would give him a cup of coffee on the plane, which Morales understood as a Spanish accusation that Morales was a liar and that Snowden was onboard.

... "Spain doesn't have to ask pardon in anyway because its airspace was never closed," said Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo ...
Spain says no reason to apologise to Bolivia in Snowden saga
MADRID, July 5 | Fri Jul 5, 2013 3:18am EDT
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/05/spain-bolivia-idUSE8N0CD01620130705

... Many hours before takeoff <from Moscow> the Government of Portugal notified the flight crew we could not land in Lisbon due to technical problems. So Spanish government authorization was obtained to stop in the Canary Islands ... At that time our use of airspace was not restricted. What we could not do was land ... The pilot himself had apparently heard a rumor that Mr Snowden was on-board ... We requested the emergency landing <in Vienna> as a precaution against a possible lack of fuel ... The President meanwhile telephoned the vice president and the chancellor to inform them what was happening ... They asked for our passports; we had no problem displaying them; ... they reviewed them quickly and returned ... After landing, the crew received notification of Portugal and Italy that they had canceled the overflight and landing permits in their territories ... The ambassador did not specifically mention Snowden. Our president said "Look, sir, we are not carrying anybody, not even Mr. Snowden". That unnerved the Spanish diplomat ... His response was confused ... The ambassador returned at 9:30 <AM>; President Morales told him it was all sorted out and thanked him ...
Rubén Saavedra Soto: “Nadie requisó el avión FAB 001”
El ministro de Defensa relata lo ocurrido en la nave presidencial cuando le bloquearon el vuelo en cuatro países de Europa. Cuenta los detalles de esos momentos tensos en Viena.
http://www.eldeber.com.bo/ruben-saavedra-soto-nadie-requiso-el-avion-fab-001/130706215201