Ecuador President Rafael Correa says Russia will decide the destination of former US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, currently believed to be holed up at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. seeking safe passage to Ecuador after leaving Hong Kong.
"At this moment, the solution of Snowden's destination is in
the hands of Russian authorities," Correa said in an
interview with the private Oromar channel, according to AFP.
"We have not sought out this situation. Snowden is in contact
with [WikiLeaks founder Julian] Assange, who recommended he seek
asylum in Ecuador," Correa stated.
Meanwhile, President Putin's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said
on Sunday that Snowden's fate is not on the Kremlin's agenda.
He said that Vladimir Putin had already voiced his take on the
issue on Tuesday, when he confirmed that Snowden was in Moscow
indeed, as a transit passenger, and rejected the US demands for
the leaker’s extradition.
“We can only extradite foreign citizens to such countries with
which we have signed the appropriate international agreements on
criminal extradition,” Putin said, adding that as Snowden had
committed no crime on Russian soil, he is free to travel at
will.
"Snowden is a free person. The sooner he chooses his final
destination, the better it is for him and Russia," he stated.
"On top of this," Peskov went on, "the president
pointed out that he is not tackling this issue and prefers
appropriate services to deal with it. Therefore, this subject
matter is not on the Kremlin agenda."
"Given that it's not our issue, I don't know what kind of
further development of the events and which legal and other
aspects of the subject matter could follow. I can neither say
anything, nor explain or give an appraisal," Peskov added.
Washington wants the 30-year-old Snowden, who faces espionage
charges, over his leaking of details about the National Security
Agency’s (NSA) dragnet telephone and internet surveillance
programs.
'Decision ours to make'
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been residing in the
Ecuadorian Embassy in London for over a year, said during a
conference call with the media broadcast by RT that Snowden had
been given special refugee documents by the Ecuadorian government
which facilitated his travel to Russia. But the country's top
Foreign Ministry official said on Wednesday that Ecuador has not
granted Edward Snowden any refugee documents.
Correa also said that he didn't authorize travel documents that
the diplomats in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London issued to
Snowden. He explained that London consul Fidel Narvaez gave the
document to Snowden, "exceeding his authority in doing
so."
"[Narvaez] will be punished," Correa promised.
On Saturday US Vice-President Joe Biden "cordially" asked
Ecuador not to grant asylum to former US spy agency contractor
Edward Snowden, according to Correa. He said his country will
make a decision based on sovereignty.
Biden initiated the phone call, Correa said, mentioning that
Biden's good manners were in sharp contrast to "those badly
behaved and confused ones in the Senate who threaten our
country," and who had promised to cut off Ecuador's trade
benefits in response to Snowden's asylum request.
"He communicated a very courteous request from the United States
that we reject the [asylum] request," Correa recalled.
In Correa’s weekly broadcast on state TV, the staunch critic of
the US, said he vowed to respect Washington's opinion in
evaluating Snowden's request, should the whistleblower arrive in
Ecuador. However, his country cannot begin processing the request
unless the National Security Agency leaker reaches Ecuador.
Correa explained that "when he [Snowden] comes to Ecuadoran
soil, if in fact he ever does, and we have to process the
request, the first people whose opinion we will seek is that of
the United States."
"Just as we did in the Assange case with England [sic], we are
going to listen to everyone but the decision would be ours as a
sovereign nation," he added, according to AFP.
"The really grave thing is what Snowden has reported," AP
quoted Correa as saying. "He will have to assume his
responsibilities, but the grave thing is his reporting of the
biggest massive spy operation in the history of humanity, inside
and outside the United States."
Correa said that while he doesn't want "to harm his
country" he is "not going to give up on the principles and
the sovereignty" of Ecuador.
US Senator Robert Menendez, who heads the Foreign Relations
Committee in the Senate, warned earlier this week that Ecuador’s
stance in Snowden's case could hurt the country's international
trade, which is highly dependent on exports to the US.
"Our government will not reward countries for bad
behavior," the influential US lawmaker said.