The Bolivian President's plane was diverted after France and Portugal refused to let it cross their airspace over "unfounded suspicions" whistleblower Edward Snowden was on board, the country has claimed. Evo Morales' flight made an unscheduled stop in the Austrian capital Vienna while returning home from Moscow.
Bolivian foreign minister David Choquehuanca told reporters that Portugal and France had abruptly cancelled air permits.
"They say it was due to technical issues, but after getting explanations from some authorities we found that there appeared to be some unfounded suspicions that Mr. Snowden was on the plane," he said.
"We don't know who invented this lie."
Mr. Morales had been in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a summit of major gas exporters in the Kremlin.
He had earlier said in an interview with Russia Today television that Bolivia would be willing to consider granting asylum to the former CIA analyst who has been at Moscow's main airport since June 23rd.
Mr. Snowden leaked details of secret surveillance operations involving the UK and the US. He fled to Hong Kong and then to Russia after White House officials requested his extradition.
He has asked for asylum in a total of 21 countries - including Ireland - many of which have offered little hope of granting his request. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told Russian reporters that his country had not received an application for asylum from Mr. Snowden.
While defending the former US National Security Agency analyst's actions, he appeared to avoid the question of whether he would take Mr Snowden with him when he left Moscow.
"He did not kill anyone and did not plant a bomb," he said.
"What he did was tell a great truth in an effort to prevent wars. He deserves protection under international and humanitarian law."
Mr. Snowden, 30, withdrew a bid for asylum in Russia when he learned the terms Moscow had set out, according to Mr. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Mr. Putin said on Monday that Russia was ready to shelter Snowden as long as he stopped leaking US secrets but added he had no plans to turn the whistleblower over to the United States.
He has applied for asylum in Venezuela, Bolivia and 18 other countries, according to WikiLeaks, a website that has been advising him. Many other European countries on the list - including Austria, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Switzerland - said he would have to make his request on their soil.
Yesterday the Taoiseach Enda Kenny said it is impossible for Ireland to offer asylum to the whistleblower for the time-being.
WikiLeaks said requests have also been made to Brazil, China, Cuba, Ecuador, France, Iceland, India, Italy and Nicaragua.
