Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:46AM
The RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft was downed by Iran's armed forces in the east of the country on December 4, 2011.
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has issued a statement to condemn the violation of Iranian airspace by a US spy drone late last year.
The NAM Coordinating Bureau issued the statement on Tuesday to denounce the US incursion into the Islamic Republic's airspace.
The 120-member bloc says the violation of Iran's airspace contravenes all universally accepted international norms relating to the sovereignty of the airspace of countries.
Earlier in January, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also censured the breach of Iranian airspace by the US spy drone.
On December 4, Iran announced that an electronic warfare unit of the Iranian armed forces took control of a US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drone, which was flying over the northeastern Iranian city of Kashmar, and gave it the command to land in Iran.
On December 12, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that Washington had submitted a formal request asking Iran to return the drone.
One day later, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi announced that the aircraft would remain in the country's possession since it was the property of the Islamic Republic.
Tehran says the US spy drone mission was a “hostile act” and has lodged a complaint at the United Nations over the reconnaissance aircraft's violation of its airspace.
AS/HGL
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