German aid plane denied entry into US
BERLIN - A German air force plane loaded with 15 tonnes worth of ready-to-eat meals earmarked for flood victims in New Orleans was refused entry into the United States last week, a government spokesman said on Saturday.
Confirming a report in Der Spiegel news magazine, the spokesman said the Luftwaffe Airbus was loaded with 9,000 military "eimannpackung" ("one-man packages") but was grounded in Germany because it did not get US flight clearance.
The spokesman said he did not know the reason for the decision by US authorities. He said the refusal to allow German aid had since been lifted.
Der Spiegel news magazine reported that US authorities had blocked the import of German military rations that contained hamburgers, goulash, sausages, pasta and jam due to fears of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
The magazine reported that relief flights from Britain and Russia were also denied entry for the same reason.
BERLIN - A German air force plane loaded with 15 tonnes worth of ready-to-eat meals earmarked for flood victims in New Orleans was refused entry into the United States last week, a government spokesman said on Saturday.
Confirming a report in Der Spiegel news magazine, the spokesman said the Luftwaffe Airbus was loaded with 9,000 military "eimannpackung" ("one-man packages") but was grounded in Germany because it did not get US flight clearance.
The spokesman said he did not know the reason for the decision by US authorities. He said the refusal to allow German aid had since been lifted.
Der Spiegel news magazine reported that US authorities had blocked the import of German military rations that contained hamburgers, goulash, sausages, pasta and jam due to fears of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
The magazine reported that relief flights from Britain and Russia were also denied entry for the same reason.
