Edward Snowden will not necessarily be granted asylum in Ecuador, and any travel aid given to him was purely accidental, the Ecuadorian President has said. He also rebuked WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for speaking on the part of Ecuador.
Correa told The Guardian that Quito will not be involved in financing or organizing Snowden’s travel from Moscow, specifying that the fugitive leaker would have to reach Ecuadorian soil before the government considers protecting him from American law enforcement.
“Are we responsible for getting him to Ecuador? It’s not logical,” Correa said Monday. “The country that has to give him a safe conduct document is Russia.”
The president’s comments came just hours after a letter from Snowden to Ecuadorian lawmakers was made public. In it, Snowden thanked them for considering his asylum request and providing a temporary travel pass for his trip from Hong Kong to Moscow on June 23. Snowden is without a passport, and in a Monday statement issued via WikiLeaks he referred to himself as "stateless."
“I must express my deep respect for your principles and sincere thanks for your government’s action in considering my request for political asylum,” Snowden wrote in Spanish, according to London’s Press Association.
“There are few world leaders who would risk standing for the human rights of an individual against the most powerful government on earth and the bravery of Ecuador and its people is an example to the world.” .......................................
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