The Minister of National Defense of Uruguay, Javier García, appeared this Monday in the Senate to deliver information on the Venezuelan cargo plane-Iranian who was not allowed to land on June 8 in that country.
"We came to do what we do so often, which is to report on the decisions we make in areas as important as the defense and security of Uruguayans."said the holder of the portfolio, who went to the National Defense Commission of the Chamber of Senators to speak about the veto of the landing of the aircraft in Montevideo.
This was indicated during a press conference, in which he stressed the importance of avoiding any circumstance "that could pose a threat to the security of the country".
"There was information that warned about this plane", Garcia said, explaining to lawmakers what considerations led him to make that determination.
The minister defined "flashy" the changes in the flight plan carried out by the crew, who requested to stay in Uruguay to rest after having been in a hotel in Buenos Aires.
He also said that the fuel the aircraft had at the time it was denied entry into Uruguayan airspace "tripled" the one he needed to return to Buenos Aires, the place from where he had taken off and which he had as an alternative airport in his flight plan.
For her part, the senator of the opposition Broad Front (FA, left) Sandra Lazo, a member of the Commission, assured Efe that her formation sees "with pleasure" that Garcia has given explanations.
However, he added that now they must continue analyzing said information, something that, he explained, cannot be done during the hour and a half of the meeting they held in the Legislative Palace.
The Government of Venezuela blamed the aeronautical authority for Uruguay for preventing the overflight of the cargo plane.
Venezuela "categorically rejects the irresponsible handling offered by the Uruguayan aeronautical authority, by revoking the overflight permit granted to the Venezuelan company Emtrasur, while the aircraft was in the air (…) to make its technical supply stop"said a statement from the Foreign Ministry days ago.
The plane in question, a Boeing 747 Dreamliner cargo, was owned by the Iranian company Mahan Air and currently belongs to Emtrasur, a subsidiary of the Venezuelan Consortium of Aeronautical Industries and Air Services (Conviasa), companies that are sanctioned by the Treasury Department of USA.
In fact, the Argentine Justice is carrying out an investigation to elucidate the possible links of the crew with international terrorism.
The pilot of the plane held at the Buenos Aires airport, the Iranian Gholamreza Ghasemi, has an alleged "link" with the Quds Force, a division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran, according to a report sent by the FBI to the Argentine Justice, judicial sources confirmed this Sunday to Efe.
Until now, Justice withdrew the passports of the 19 crew members.
