Merkel's flight to India delayed by Iran

BERLIN – Iran set off a diplomatic row with Germany on Tuesday by closing its airspace to Chancellor Angela Merkel's plane as it flew to India and delaying her arrival there on an official visit.

Germany summoned the Iranian ambassador in Berlin to protest "the breach of international protocol," said Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.
"Iran's move to hinder the chancellor's trip is absolutely unacceptable," he said in a statement. "This is a lack of respect for Germany that we won't accept," said Westerwelle, who was on an official trip to Australia.

Iran had granted overflight permission to Merkel's plane before it left Berlin, but that was revoked after the chancellor was airborne, the German government said.

Merkel's plane was forced to circle over Turkey for about two hours en route to India , said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert. He called it a violation of normal diplomatic privilege that Merkel had never experienced before.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110531/ap_on_re_eu/eu_germany_iran_3



:wtf:

India buys oil from Iran and pays in Rupees (not $). It was using a German bank to transfer the funds (not hidden..openly of course) and America asked Germany to stop this. The funny part is that Germany nor America had any say in this transaction...yet Germany went ahead and blocked such payments. This pissed India off royally a while back(it was on the news)..especially so cos the US could have asked India directly. They could have asked India or Iran not to use German banks..but no..they hand to go ahead and block the perfectly legal transaction without letting the others know beforehand. Common decency could have prevailed and saved everyone a lot of trouble.

Not to mention..this pissed of Iran as well. Thus I'm not surprised that Iran showed its displeasure at the German government by this action. However much I despise the Iranian government(and religious fundies in general) I dislike the underhand means, and the butting in on the affairs of the other nations America and Germany did in this case.

Usually I'm with the US and other nations in their condemnation of Iran..especially its stifling of the democratic aspirations of its people.But in this case I would say that Iran merely paid Germany back in kind.


U.S. Presses Germany to Block Indian Payments to Iran for Oil

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/business/global/31iht-iranoil31.html