cannabisnews.com: Bush Says U.S. Role Was To Provide Information Bush Says U.S. Role Was To Provide Information Posted by FoM on April 22, 2001 at 20:12:30 PT By Ron Fournier, AP White House Correspondent Source: Associated Press President Bush pledged Sunday to find out what went wrong when Peru shot down an airplane carrying American missionaries, but said the role of a nearby U.S. surveillance plane was ``simply to pass on information'' about aircraft suspected of ferrying drugs. An American and her infant daughter were killed in the shooting over the Amazon River on Friday. ``Our government is involved with helping, and a variety of agencies are involved with helping, our friends in South America identify airplanes that might be carrying illegal drugs,'' Bush said at a news conference closing out the Summit of the Americas. ``These operations have been going on for quite a while.'' Specifically, the American role is to spot planes' tail numbers and identify aircraft that fail to file flight plans, Bush said. The surveillance flights, he said, have been suspended ``until we get to the bottom of the situation, to fully understand all the facts, to understand what went wrong in this terrible tragedy.'' Bush's remarks were the most detailed explanation provided by the administration since the plane was downed. White House and State Department representatives had refused comment Saturday, deliberately deflecting attention to the U.S. Embassy in Peru. Bush's remarks reflected his belief that the U.S. role was limited to the efforts to identify tail numbers and planes without flight plans, aides said. There are indications that the missionaries' pilot did file a flight plan. The Peruvian government has said the plane entered Peruvian air space from Brazil without filing a flight plan. Yet airport officials have said the plane did not have a flight plan when it set out from Islandia, next to Brazil's border, Friday morning, but one was established when the pilot made radio contact with the airport control tower in Iquitos, its destination. The U.S. tracking plane was taking part in a long-standing U.S.-Peru project when it notified Peruvians that the missionaries' plane was operating without a flight plan in airspace frequented by drug runners, U.S. government officials said. They said Peru, which had the responsibility to identify the plane's intentions, mistakenly decided it was carrying drugs. American surveillance planes routinely monitor the sky over Andean countries as part of the U.S. counter-narcotics efforts. Drug flights are common in the northern jungle region bordering Colombia and Brazil. Under an agreement with the United States, Peru cannot use U.S. air surveillance or radar data to attack a suspected drug plane unless it is flying without a flight plan. Missionary Veronica ``Ronnie'' Bowers, 35, and her 7-month-old adopted daughter, Charity, were both killed and pilot Kevin Donaldson was wounded in the downing, said the Rev. E.C. Haskell, spokesman for the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism. Also on board and unhurt were Bowers' husband, Jim Bowers, 37, and their 6-year-old son Cory, said Haskell. The Bowers family is from Muskegon, Mich., and Donaldson from Morgantown, Pa., Haskell said. ``Our hearts go out to the families who have been affected,'' Bush said. ``I want everybody in my country to understand that we weep for the families whose lives have been affected.'' Complete Title: Bush Says U.S. Role in Downing of Plane was To Provide Information Source: Associated PressAuthor: Ron Fournier, AP White House CorrespondentPublished: April 22, 2001Copyright: 2001 Associated Press Related Articles:U.S. Identified Baptists' Plane as Drug Carrierhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9455.shtmlU.S. Notified Peru Of Suspect Plane http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9448.shtmlAmericans Shot Down Over Peru 2 Killedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9439.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by lookinside on April 22, 2001 at 20:40:20 PT: sanity? anyone who supports "plan columbia" or any other ill advised"drug war" operation can take credit for the murder of thesepeople...since bush is in the white house, he's the headmurderer...he'll cover his butt...but why not have animpeachment hearing right now just for entertainment? i'dcall this a high crime...the drug war is hurting thousands of people...does hecare?...i think a resounding "NO" is the correct answer... [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: