Cuba and Venezuela fear that the planes that come to the CELAC summit in Buenos Aires will be hijacked

The governments of Cuba and Venezuela informed the Casa Rosada and the Foreign Ministry that they are afraid that the planes that transport their respective delegations to Buenos Aires to participate in the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) are seized due to a possible request from the United States.

The CELAC forum will meet in Buenos Aires on tuesday 24 therefore, next weekend the delegations from 33 countries and among them possibly twenty heads of State and Government.

It is in this context that, in the last hours, Pedro Pablo Prada Quintero, the Cuban ambassador in Argentina, and the representative of Nicolás Maduro in this country, Stella Lugo, let Argentine officials know that they fear for the safety of the planes. that they transfer to Buenos Aires the president Miguel Díaz Canel, on the one hand, and Nicolás Maduro on the other. Both they are moving with aircraft of the Venezuelan Consortium of Aeronautical Industries and Air Services (CONVIASA).

Neither of the leaders has publicly confirmed their presence, but both have outposts in Buenos Aires, a sign that they are still preparing.

Most leaders want to come further attracted by the presence of Brazilian Luis Inacio Lula da Silvawho on Monday the 23rd will participate in a bilateral meeting with Alberto Fernández, possibly another with Cristina Kircher, if the vice president travels to Buenos Aires, and in an extended meeting with the ministers Santiago Cafiero, Sergio Massa, Ambassador Daniel Scioli and others .

as he learned Clarionthe request for guarantees requested by Ambassador Prada Quintero was not satisfied Although both Venezuela and Cuba are governments that are friends of Kirchnerism. A sector of the Government affirms that all aircraft that come to Buenos Aires with an official delegation enjoy immunities as will heads of state.

In addition, they also do not adhere to US sanctions, such as the little-known reward offered there, of 15 million dollars for whoever turns Maduro over. Another sector of the Government maintains that there is “independence of powers” in the face of judicial claims that come from abroad.

The truth is that the Cuban diplomat made it known that its president, Diaz Canel wants to come to the CELAC summit but has a logistical problem. The Cuban state is bankrupt, and the president travels on planes provided by the Venezuelan state.

In particular, they fear that the aircraft the fate of the Emtrasur Boeing 747-300 that last June was held here with its crew of 14 Venezuelans and five Iranians. In this case, the Argentine Ministry of Justice accepted the kidnapping request that came from its US counterpart.

As was clearly seen in the images of the tour that in November took Díaz Canel to Russia, China, Algeria and Turkey, to seek help for the devastating energy crisis that Cuba is suffering, he was traveling in a CONVIASA Airbus YV3535, purchased by the Chavista regime to the Iranian airline Mahan Air. That plane has also made very different routes through Latin America without having any problems.

IN 2019 he had traveled to Mexico aboard a luxurious private jet arranged by the Venezuelan State. A Falcon 900EX, registration YV2053, as reported at the time. And it is estimated that the late Hugo Chávez gave Cuba another two private planes.

US sanctions

But both Conviasa and Mahan Air are sanctioned by double entry by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States. One under the accusation of being used for the alleged corruption scheme of the Chavista regime, and the other for its alleged use in terrorist activities of radical Islamic groups.

Since the Emtrasur plane was hijacked in Ezeiza at the request of a Columbia judge -said company is also sanctioned by the US Treasury- the crew members were able to leave more than two months after being delayed, but the aircraft deteriorates in a Ezeiza hangar- both Caracas like Havana take care of the movements of their planes.

Ten days ago, in anticipation of the CELAC summit, a CONVIASA plane arrived in Buenos Aires, leaving Buenos Aires six regime officials. From the Government they said that it is a presidential outpost, with diplomatic immunities. And they said that the aircraft also had “official” protection. But it did not take three hours after the news was released for the aircraft to leave Argentina without refueling.

Hence, in the resumption of the Buenos Aires-Caracas flights that Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero and the Argentine ambassador to Venezuela, Oscar Laborde are negotiating, companies that are subject to sanctions in the United States are not included for now.