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Immobilization of a cargo plane: "Return the plane and the crew" asks Venezuela to Argentina

2022-08-11T21:39:14.165Z


A Venezuelan government delegation protested Thursday in front of the Argentine embassy in Caracas against the immobilization of a cargo plane...


A Venezuelan government delegation protested Thursday outside the Argentine embassy in Caracas against the immobilization of a Venezuelan cargo plane in Buenos Aires and the retention of part of its crew.

“Give back the plane and the crew”

, shouted in front of the embassy about thirty Conviasa employees, dressed in T-shirts and caps from the Venezuelan public airline.

Transport Minister Ramon Velasquez and MPs were received by Argentinian Ambassador Oscar Laborde, to whom they presented documents contesting the immobilization in June of a Boeing 747 belonging to Emtrasur, a subsidiary of Conviasa, which is one of the companies targeted by US sanctions against the power of Caracas.

"We hope that the truth will prevail, that the Argentine justice will react, that it will no longer pursue this case plagued by illegality so that our crew and our plane are returned"

, declared Ramon Velasquez after the interview.

The plane carrying auto parts from Mexico entered Argentina on June 6.

Unable to refuel in Buenos Aires because of the sanctions, he tried to reach Montevideo on June 8 but the Uruguayan authorities refused his landing and the plane turned back to Ezeiza airport (Argentina), where a judge later ordered him immobilized.

Open investigation

Argentinian justice has opened an investigation against the crew, made up of 14 Venezuelans and five Iranians.

Last week, the judge in charge of the case authorized 12 of the crew members to leave Argentina, but they are still in the country after the appeal of the prosecution.

Ramon Velasquez said the crew members are under investigation for “espionage and terrorism” and considered that

“the rights of defense have been violated” because “they have not yet been called to testify ".

"You can't tell people they're terrorists, they're spies using intelligence reports that you know are biased

," he continued, alluding to to the intelligence services of Paraguay.

These established a link between one of the Iranian crew members and the Al-Quds Force, an elite unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards of Iran, the ideological army of the Revolution, classified as a terrorist organization by the United States.

According to the US Department of Justice, "the captain of the aircraft has been identified as a former commander" of Al Quds.

And in early August, the US Department of Justice asked Argentina to seize the plane, arguing that the Boeing 747 had been sold in October 2021 to a Venezuelan company by an Iranian company in violation of US sanctions against the two entities. .

Tehran assures that the status of the plane is

"completely legal"

and that its immobilization falls under

linked to tensions between the West and Iran over its nuclear program.

This appearance of the United States in the case raised the tone on the Venezuelan side.

While Pedro Carreño, a pro-government MP who was part of the delegation, said the ambassador had shown goodwill, he had on Wednesday during a session of parliament vilified Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez:

"Let him shows if he is a henchman of the (American) empire, if he is a puppet of imperialism or if he really rules this country (Argentina).

It is not a problem of justice but a political problem”.

Reacting to these remarks, the spokesperson for the Argentine presidency, Gabriela Cerruti, underlined Thursday during her weekly press conference that it was not

“a diplomatic incident”.

Source: lefigaro

All business articles on 2022-08-11

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