Snowden Crisis Prompts Meeting Of South American Bloc Unasur To Ask For Explanations On Evo Morales' Plane Diversion

The Union of South American Nations (Unasur) condemned the diversion of Bolivia’s President Evo Morales flight on Tuesday, after France and Portugal refused to let the plane into their airspace. Several Latin American leaders criticized the decision severely, and asked for explanations from the international community.

In order to achieve a unified action, Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa called a meeting with all the members of Unasur -- which will be held on Thursday in Lima, as Peru’s Ollanta Humala is the current president of the bloc.

In a statement, the group expressed its “indignation and a profound rejection of the unfriendly and unjustifiable acts that put at risk the safety of the Bolivian head of state and his team.” The bloc demanded more information about the event from the European nations involved. The Bolivians say Morales' flight from Moscow was blocked because it was falsely believed that NSA leaker Edward Snowden was aboard.

A spokesman for the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said that there will also be a presidential summit held in Cochabamba, Bolivia, at a date unknown.