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The plane that strains the relationship between Venezuela and Argentina: Maduro demands the return of a Boeing seized two months ago

2022-08-10T11:08:22.056Z


The Argentine justice tries to determine if the Iranian crew that occupied it has links with terrorism


Venezuela has demanded with particular virulence from Argentina the return of the Emtrasur company plane, held along with 19 crew members, five of them Iranian, since June 8 in Buenos Aires.

The diplomatic tension has escalated since the president, Nicolás Maduro, warned his Argentine counterpart, Alberto Fernández, on Monday that he was well "upset [annoyed] for the theft of the plane in Argentina."

This Tuesday, employees of Venezuelan airlines marched to Parliament under the slogan "return the plane."

Inside the building, in a hectic session, Chavismo accused the Argentine justice system of being under the yoke of the United States.

“The plane and our kidnapped brothers are being returned to us!” said the head of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, during a session in which an agreement was approved in repudiation of “the perverse intention of the US Government to illegally appropriate of the hijacked plane” in Argentina.

“Don't let them come to us with lies, it was a vulgar kidnapping.

We want our compatriots back who are being held in Argentina without any excuse,” he insisted.

The Boeing 747 Dreamliner, Venezuelan registration YV3531, is being held at Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires.

It belongs to the Venezuelan public company Emtrasur and was recently acquired from the Iranian airline Mahan Air.

Both companies are sanctioned by Washington, accused of providing logistics services to terrorist groups.

The Argentine justice is waiting for reports to arrive from the United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Aruba and the Dominican Republic.

Judge Federico Villena, in charge of the investigation, wants to determine if the objective of some members of the crew was different from the one communicated in the trip plan.

The plane was carrying auto parts from a multinational and the cargo was delivered, but a complaint from the Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations (DAIA) put its eye on the five Iranians on board.

His presence disturbed the Jewish community of the South American country, which asked for clarification if they had links with some of those accused of the 1994 attack that destroyed the AMIA headquarters in Buenos Aires, leaving 85 dead.

Rodríguez, one of the heavyweights of Chavismo, called the Argentine prosecutor handling the case a “thief” and went even further by conditioning the return to negotiations with the Venezuelan opposition, which is pushed by the international community and has been stalled for almost a year. , to what happens to the detained aircraft.

“We are not going to move in matters of dialogue or in matters of negotiation, or in any of that.

Very simple, just as we said with the kidnapped diplomat, Álex Saab”.

In addition, he announced that this Wednesday they will mobilize in protest to the Argentine embassy in Caracas.

"Don't let go of the demons, because if someone knows the street, it's the Bolivarian Revolution of Venezuela," he warned.

Maduro took a hard line on Monday against President Fernandez, whom he until recently considered an ally.

The Venezuelan fueled the fire of Argentine internal politics asking for the support of the Peronist movements that make up the Executive.

“We are not going to let the plane be stolen!

We are very horny for the theft of the plane in Argentina;

Enough of the abuses;

Enough is enough!” he said.

Diosdado Cabello, considered the

number two

of Chavismo, also charged against the Argentine president.

"We do not want that plane in five years, we want it now because that plane is from Venezuela."

The Boeing 747-300 of the Venezuelan company Emtrasur photographed on June 12, 2022 at the Córdoba airport, Argentina. SEBASTIAN BORSERO (AFP)

On Monday of last week, the Argentine judge returned the passports of 12 crew members - one Iranian and the rest Venezuelans - but retained those of the other seven - four Iranians and three Venezuelans.

Those who received the passport are free to leave the country.

In a 260-page ruling, released by the state news agency

Telam,

Villena explained that he wants to know if "under the guise or 'screen' of a lawful activity, part of the crew would be (...) financing terrorist operations (specifically with Hezbollah)” or are part of “a plan linked to that terrorist organization.”

The judge is based on the right that countries have to adopt "preventive measures to repress the preparation of any act of terrorism, considering that the first step to do so is financing."

This is an extremely sensitive issue in Argentina, a country where two terrorist attacks against the Jewish community took place: two years before the AMIA bombing, a car bomb collapsed the Israeli Embassy building in Buenos Aires and killed 22 people.

A recent report by the Israeli intelligence service, the Mossad, details how Hezbollah prepared both attacks from the territory, with people specially sent to Argentina by the terrorist organization.

The judge awaits, meanwhile, the information requested from third countries.

From Uruguay he wants to know why he prevented the Emtrasur flight from landing when he had already authorized the route;

Venezuela was asked for data on the arrival and departure of passengers on the different scales of the flight prior to landing in Buenos Aires;

I ask Aruba and the Dominican Republic for details about the passage of the plane through their territories.

So far he has only received a response from the United States.

The FBI provided a document “regarding the association of Iranian citizen Gholamreza Ghasemi (pilot of the Embratur plane) with the designated terrorist groups, the Quds Forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC¬QF) and Hezbollah,” the judge wrote. in his fault.

The United States Government has been the most active in this cause.

A Columbia court asked Argentina to confiscate the plane for the alleged violation of export laws.

The Boeing 747 is of American origin and its transfer from the Iranian company Mahan Air to the Venezuelan Emtrasur involves two companies that Washington considers logistics providers to terrorist organizations.

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Source: elparis

All news articles on 2022-08-10

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