Warning of attack in South America

This post is not about Bolivia, save for mention of one person who passed away there in 2012; Antonio Escobar, an Argentine diplomat. He, like Ivan Heyn, died in what some doubt was a suicide that winter. Heyn's death was more well known, as he was a finance minister accompanying the president to a conference in Uruguay. The press in the West ignored both. The public quickly moved on.

One person who had doubts about their deaths stayed around to look at his own list of suspects, one of whom is a Gringo. And quite a few Argentinians might not have a problem believing that a Gringo could be behind such a move.

A couple of years prior to their demise, a Gringo was behind some shenanigans in Bolivia and its neighbours - and in 2009 there was discovered a plot to kill Evo Morales, president of the country. Again, not much doubt that a Westerner could be involved in something against the country that is supposed to have stripped their ambassador and sent him packing on a mule.

But there is much more to this than the nationality of two ne'er-do-wells who happen to get involved in intel attacks on Latin America; the most famous of which is the Bay of Pigs, led by one spoiled brat named Richard M. Bissell of the CIA. Bissell trained Hispanics to attack Cuba to spite Russia, and this might have worked but for the sheer stupidity of just about everyone involved. They overrode advice from military men and cost the lives of many on both sides, along with Cuban civilians. What they thought was genius was the fact that it was supposed to look like it was Hispanic in origin and the real perpetrators could, using 'plausible denial', escape any responsibility while getting what they wanted out of it.

Fast forward to today, and the same things are planned. But having made such a pig's ear of the Cuban invasion, the powers that be in the US are not quite so stupid. Give them some credit; they do learn from their mistakes.

Presently, we have gotten wind of plans to attack Britishers and Falkland Island/Malvinas residents using Hispanics with Argentine accents, with the result that all hell breaks loose, the Brits and Argentinians going at it full force. And thus certain people step in and take advantage - people who have been hearing rumours of an accord between Whitehall and the Pink House that would give Argentina a percentage of the petroleum from the Falklands while giving Britain use of Argentine ports. Both sides could save a lot of time and trouble and end up making money, putting aside past grievances and going forward.  Not an official negotiation; maybe just a rumour. But enough to make some people nervous.

One could here jump to the conclusion that  this is a CIA job, but reflect; the CIA is an old dog not up to much. Not that it ever was. The best move they ever made was when Allen Dulles, and this is before there was a CIA, took the time to listen to Fritz Kolbe, the German diplomat who ultimately helped turn the tide of war by giving Dulles, then spy chief at the US Embassy in Zurich; Kolbe gave him intimate details of Nazi and Japanese military plans. Kolbe had first gone to the British Embassy, where their spy chief pompously turned him away. Lazy dog was he; but his action is common, in fact, the reason for the British losing the American colonies what that their commander, a Hessian, was too lazy to open a letter from a Tory informant. He died with the letter unopened in his pocket; had he read it, he could have anticipated the surprise attack on Christmas Day.

Dulles' move was simple and efficient; he listened to an informant, who, by the way, did not want to be paid. Dulles' agency, the CIA, later turned into a den of snakes staffed by former Abwehr agents, whose influence led to things like the Operation Northwoods plan. I'll leave the reader to google that one and see what I mean.

At some point, the US government took the move to source its covert ops to private agencies, thus creating plausible denial. And some of these private agencies, which change their names frequently, are completely ruthless. They are able to override executive orders and get US State Department waivers to do things around the world that are illegal by many standards.

Here I will stop, having said enough, huelga decir hay mas a decir, y nosotros vamos a decirlo si alguien va escuchar.

Evo Morales asks for a transfer of UN Headquarters to a more neutral country

In today's El Diario/La Prensa, (p. 11) there appears an article about Evo Morales asking that the location of the United Nations headquarters be changed to a 'neutral nation.' Given the complicity of the UN in CIA agression against Latin American countries, going back as far as 1954 when United Fruit took over in Central America, this is a most reasonable request. Switzerland, with its neutrality,
might be a far better choice. Morales then suggests that if they do not change the location, at least rotate its meeting places, "maybe to Geneva or somewhere in Austria is we're talking about Europe; if we're talking about South America, maybe Brazil", he told CNN.
He is presently in NY where he is attending the UN sessions.
One of the reasons for his appeal is that the US does not offer proper security, and he notes that it harbours terrorists. Which is very true. Absolute butchers from Latin America fill the cesspool in Miami.
Alluding to an incident in which the US denied a Venezuelan flight airspace over Puerto Rico, he notes that the US is not friendly to all foreign flights - one recalls the recent stopping of his own plane in Europe, possibly at the instigation of the CIA.
Bolivia in renewing its extradition request for the former president accused of genocide, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada.
And it has not been that long ago that certain Latin American presidents found that the NSA was eavesdropping on them...and not that long ago either that the US got caught bugging phones at the UN.
So yes, there are many arguments for transferring the UN headquarters to a nation with less controversy about its dealings with Latin America.

Apology to Bolivia

The embarrassing incident in Europe over the Bolivian plane has caused waves internationally. The following is from the BBC in London:

 

 

 

Four South American countries say they will recall some of their ambassadors after the Bolivian president's plane was banned from European airspace.

Evo Morales' plane, returning from Russia, was rerouted to Austria, amid rumours that American fugitive Edward Snowden was on board.

Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Uruguay say the incident violated international law.

Envoys will be recalled from France, Spain, Portugal and Italy, they say.

Mr Snowden, a former CIA contractor, is wanted by Washington on charges of leaking secrets about US surveillance schemes.
'Hostile act'
Speaking at a summit in Montevideo, the Uruguayan foreign minister, Luis Almagro, said the actions of the European governments were "groundless, discriminatory and arbitrary".

He went on: "The gravity of the situation - which is a typical neo-colonial practice - is an unusual, unfriendly and hostile act which violates human rights and affects the freedom of transit, displacement and immunity that is enjoyed by every head of state."

The European countries have called the incident a "misunderstanding". France has apologised, blaming "conflicting information" while Spain said it had been told Mr Snowden had been on the plane.

On Friday, Mr Snowden said he sought asylum in Russia as he was unable to travel to Latin America.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

We repudiate any action aimed at undermining the authority of countries to grant and fully implement the right of asylum”

End Quote Mercosur statement

He spoke at a Moscow airport, in his first appearance in three weeks, after meeting human rights groups and lawyers.

He has been in the transit area at Sheremetyevo airport since arriving from Hong Kong on 23 June.

The American has sent requests for political asylum to at least 21 countries, most of which have turned him down.

However, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela have indicated they could take him in.
South American anger
The decision by South American nations to recall four of their Europe envoys was taken in the framework of the presidential summit of the regional trade bloc, Mercosur, which comprises Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Uruguay.

Some European countries are likely to close their airspace again to any plane suspected of carrying the fugitive.

In a statement, Mercosur said: "We repudiate any action aimed at undermining the authority of countries to grant and fully implement the right of asylum."

It called for "solidarity with the governments of Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela, which have offered to grant asylum to Mr Edward Snowden".

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Mercosur would also demand "explanations and public apologies" from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal over the plane forced landing.

Bolivia, which is an associate member of Mercosur, summoned the ambassadors of the four European countries last week over the diversion of the plane, which it called an act of aggression.

The kidnapping of Evo Morales

The 'kidnapping' of the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, has made international waves
as the following New York Times articles demonstrates. The US fears that Snowden was on board
were unfounded, this former spook remains at Sheremetryevo Aeroport in no-man's-land with his passport revoked. However, the US has now lost any support it had over the Morales incident, and it will actually be easier for Snowden to find haven; expect Ecuador to grant it. Also, Ecuador has found a bug in its London embassy, planted by the CIA - which has infiltrated the UK intel forces. Sad that the UK will be left to take the blame for the bug, hopefully the truth will emerge and both Ecuador and the UK will be better able to thwart the CIA/NSA and other US spy agencies.

Helmut Fohringer/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, speaking to reporters at an airport near Vienna. France and Portugal had blocked his plane.

By WILLIAM NEUMAN and ALISON SMALE

Published: July 3, 2013

CARACAS, Venezuela — The geopolitical storm churned up by Edward J. Snowden, the fugitive American intelligence contractor, continued to spread on Wednesday as Latin American leaders roundly condemned the refusal to let Bolivia’s president fly over several European nations, rallying to his side after Bolivian officials said the president’s plane had been thwarted because of suspicions that Mr. Snowden was on board.

Calling it a grave offense to their entire region, Latin American officials said they would hold an emergency meeting of the Union of South American Nations on Thursday.

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina said the episode had “vestiges of a colonialism that we thought was completely overcome,” describing it as a humiliating act that affected all of South America.

President Rafael Correa of Ecuador said in a post on Twitter that the situation was “extremely serious” and called it an “affront to all America,” referring to Latin America.

The diplomatic and political tempest over Mr. Snowden and his revelations of far-reaching American espionage programs has swept up adversaries and allies from across the globe.

Tensions emerged right away between the United States and the two major powers Mr. Snowden has fled to, China and Russia, over their refusal to detain him and turn him over to the American authorities.

The discord soon spread to some of America’s closest allies in Europe. After newspaper reports based on documents Mr. Showden compiled as a contractor for the National Security Agency showed that the United States had been spying on an array of embassies and diplomatic missions, including the European Union’s offices in Washington, Brussels and New York, the outrage rattled prospects for a trans-Atlantic free-trade agreement.

The United States and Europe have emphasized the importance of the trade talks, saying they would create the world’s largest free trade zone and stimulate growth. But on Wednesday, France said it would be wise for the talks to be suspended for two weeks to give Washington time to supply information about its spying program.

Hours later, José Manuel Barroso, the head of the union’s governing commission, announced a compromise in which trade talks could start as planned, but only if the United States opened talks at the same time on its intelligence operations.

Seeking to keep the trade talks on track, President Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany later responded with an agreement that security officials from their countries would hold a “high-level meeting” in coming days, Ms. Merkel’s spokesman said in a statement.

In a telephone call to President Obama on Wednesday evening, the chancellor noted that a visit to Washington by senior officials from the German government and its intelligence services offered the chance for an “intensive discussion” of concerns over the scope of American intelligence activities, data protection and privacy, the statement said.

But French officials, speaking to reporters, made it clear that they would still favor delaying trade talks if there was no movement from the Americans on the espionage by next week.

And now, the uproar has encompassed Latin America as well.

“In some sense, it parallels ironically what the N.S.A. is doing,” said Faiza Patel, a co-director of the liberty and national security program of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, a research and advocacy organization. “The N.S.A. is reaching its tentacles aross the world.”

Mr. Snowden and his disclosures have touched different chords in each region. In Europe, Ms. Patel noted, they have provoked memories of the police states created by fascism and communism, with their heavy-handed surveillance of their own people. In Latin America, she said, they have touched on a wellspring of resentment over the legacy of colonialism and American power, as well as the region’s own history of secretive dictatorships.       

The latest burst of outrage came in response to the diversion of a plane carrying Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, as he was flying home from Moscow on Tuesday. He had attended a meeting of nations that export natural gas and had told Russian television that he was open to giving asylum to Mr. Snowden.

Mr. Snowden has been holed up at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow for more than a week, hoping to receive a positive response to the asylum requests he has made to several countries, and Mr. Morales’s remark may have set off suspicion that he was bringing the fugitive aboard.

After taking off from Moscow, Mr. Morales’s plane sought permission to land in France to refuel, according to Carlos Romero, the minister of government in La Paz, Bolivia. But France refused and denied the plane permission to enter French airspace, Bolivian officials said. Portugal had previously refused to let the plane land for refueling in Lisbon.

Mr. Morales was given permission to land in Vienna, where he spent the night. Officials said that as a new flight plan was being drawn up, Italy also denied permission for Mr. Morales’s plane to use its airspace. Bolivia’s foreign minister, David Choquehuanca, said the refusals stemmed from “unfounded suspicions that Mr. Snowden was on the plane.”

Karl-Heinz Grundböck, a spokesman for the Austrian Interior Ministry, said that the Austrian border authorities carried out a routine check of the passports of everyone aboard Mr. Morales’s plane after it landed and that they were also granted permission to search the plane to ensure that Mr. Snowden was not aboard. “The rumors were just that,” Mr. Grundböck said.

But in La Paz, officials said no search had taken place, contending that it would be improper to search the plane of a head of state. As for the forced diversion of the flight, the vice president of Bolivia, Álvaro García Linera, equated it to a kidnapping.

“Yesterday was one of the most shameful pages in the political history of some countries in Europe,” Mr. García Linera said in La Paz on Wednesday.

French officials apologized on Wednesday, saying they had never meant to block Mr. Morales from their airspace and reversed the decision after learning that the Bolivian president was aboard.

“There was conflicting information about the passengers who were on board,” said the French president, François Hollande. “When I knew it was the plane of the Bolivian president, I immediately gave permission for it to fly” over French territory, he said.

Some Latin American officials blamed the United States, insisting that the Obama administration had instructed its European allies to stop Mr. Morales’s plane on the suspicion that it carried Mr. Snowden, who is wanted on charges of violating espionage laws for divulging secrets about American surveillance programs. The White House declined to comment on whether the American government had anything to do with the plane’s diversion.

At the State Department, a spokeswoman, Jennifer Psaki, declined to say whether American authorities had asked other countries to deny airspace to the Bolivian plane. “I would point you to them to describe why they made decisions if they made decisions,” Ms. Psaki told reporters.

After European nations eventually cleared Mr. Morales to fly, he took off from the Vienna airport about 11:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the foreign minister of Ecuador, Ricardo Patiño, said on Wednesday in Quito that his government had discovered a hidden microphone in the office of its ambassador in London. The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, who has been acting as an adviser to Mr. Snowden, has been living in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London for more than a year, given asylum there to escape extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning on sexual assault allegations.

Mr. Patiño, whose country is a possible asylum destination for Mr. Snowden, said that the device was linked to a private British security firm and that he was asking British authorities for help in finding out who was behind the bugging.