South American Bloc Slams US Spying

Insists US Has No Say on Who They Give Asylum to

The Mercosur, the common market organization for South American country, has
seen today’s summit meeting focusing almost entirely on US surveillance, and the Obama Administration’s hostility toward member nations offering asylum to Edward Snowden.

The body issued a statement at the end of today’s summit condemning the US, and expressing “solidarity with the governments of Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezeula, which have offered to grant asylum to Mr. Edward Snowden.”

NSA surveillance has been a major issue across the world, but nowhere more than in Latin America, where yesterday’s revelations that the US surveillance extended beyond military targets to commercial interests has fueled particular concern.

The US hostility toward granted asylum has also captured more attention in the region, with the forced downing and search of Bolivian President Evo Morales’ plane. The Mercosur statement reiterated that nations have a right under international law to grant asylum.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.