Venezuelan delegation protests grounding of plane in Argentina

An official Venezuelan delegation, including the transport minister, protested Thursday outside Argentina's embassy in Caracas against the grounding of a plane and its crew in Buenos Aires since June.

The Boeing 747 cargo plane, owned by Venezuelan company Emtrasur, has been held in Argentina since it arrived on June 8 from Mexico with a shipment of auto parts, after having tried unsuccessfully to enter Uruguay.

Minister Ramon Velasquez and pro-government lawmakers visited the embassy Thursday to protest, as a few dozen workers of state airline Conviasa gathered outside chanting: "Return the plane and crew!"

Conviasa, which controls Emtrasur, is the target of US sanctions.

Velasquez's delegation handed a document to ambassador Oscar Laborde.

"We gave the ambassador some communications so that the authorities, the counterparts in Argentina, can sit down and talk about the situation, find the best alternative and the best solution to this problem," Velasquez said afterwards.

"We hope that the truth prevails, that the Argentine justice system reacts, that it does not take this situation plagued by illegality to new levels," he said.

The Boeing first entered Argentina on June 6 with a load of auto parts from Mexico.

Unable to refuel in Buenos Aires due to the sanctions, the plane left for Montevideo on June 8. But the Uruguayan authorities refused it access, and it flew back to Argentina.