Assange ‘apology’ over Snowden asylum row

[struggle4progress]

Hasan Suroor
LONDON, June 29, 2013

Julian Assange is reported to have “apologised” to the Ecuadorean government saying that his intervention in the Snowden extradition/asylum row was not meant to show “any lack of respect or concern for Ecuador or its government” ...

“There is a fog of war due to the rapid nature of events. If similar events arise you can be assured that they do not originate in any lack of respect or concern for Ecuador or its government,” the note said according to The Guardian.

It follows reports that senior figures in Ecuador were “annoyed” with WikiLeaks chief after he claimed that the Ecuador embassy in London had issued a “safe passage” pass to whistleblower Edward Snowden to travel to Ecuador.

Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa declared that the document was unauthorised ...

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/assange-apology-over-snowden-asylum-row/article4864082.ece?homepage=true

[struggle4progress]

1. ABC News lands interview with WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange

By Yukio Strachan
Jun 29, 2013 - 25 mins ago in Entertainment

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will appear on ABC News' "This Week," Sunday for an exclusive interview, the network said Friday ...

ABC News gave this preview: "How have Assange and WikiLeaks aided Snowden as he seeks safe passage from Russia? Should Snowden and WikiLeaks' partners be considered whistle-blowers or lawbreakers? And what is the future of WikiLeaks as its controversial efforts remain under scrutiny around the world?"

The Huffington Post reported ... that Snowden's father Lonnie recently told NBC News that he is worried that people, including those from WikiLeaks, could be manipulating his son. “I think WikiLeaks, if you’ve looked at past history, you know, their focus isn’t necessarily the constitution of the United States," he said ...

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/353399

[randome]

2. This is just ABC News' interpretation of the note.

Here is the actual text.



[hr]
[font color="blue"][center]I'm always right. When I'm wrong I admit it.
So then I'm right about being wrong.[/center][/font]
[hr]

[struggle4progress]

3. Is Ecuador Cooling To Idea Of Granting Accused Spy Snowden Asylum?

By Angelo Young
on June 29 2013 5:01 PM

Calling U.S. Congress members “brats” for their blustering to harm Ecuador-U.S. trade relations should the country grant National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden political asylum, Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa characterized a phone conversation with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday as “cordial” and “courteous” ...

On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that if Ecuador granted asylum to Snowden, then he would lead efforts to prevent the renewals of Ecuador’s duty-free access to U.S. markets under the Generalized System of Preferences program and of the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act: Both would expire by the end of next month unless renewed, as Reuters said. Ecuador responded by unilaterally renouncing the trade benefits, saying it would not be blackmailed by political posturing ...

Meanwhile, Ecuador withdraw on Friday Snowden’s temporary travel documents that would have allowed him to leave Moscow’s Domodedovo International Airport, where the leaker of U.S. electronic-surveillance documents is believed to be staying in a political no man’s land reserved for in-transit travelers who do not have permission to enter Russian territory.

According to official Ecuadorean correspondence acquired by the Spanish-language network Univision, the reason for the withdrawal of the paperwork is that Quito is concerned that Assange is overstepping his bounds with regard to facilitating Snowden’s passage to refuge. Ecuador’s ambassador to the U.S., Nathalie Cely, told the president’s office that, to the international community, Assange “appears to be running the show,” according to the Guardian.

http://www.ibtimes.com/us-vp-biden-had-cordial-talk-ecuador-president-correa-ecuador-cooling-idea-granting-accused-spy

[struggle4progress]

4. US Yunivision TV is lying about the papers given to Snowden – Ecuador President Correa

... Univision has published a copy of the transit document allegedly given to Snowden by the Ecuadorean consulate in London. This document is needed to cross the borders of other states on the way to Ecuador to obtain political asylum ...

Earlier on Saturday, Correa said that he has spoken with US Vice President Joe Biden about Edward Snowden, and that the American official asked Ecuador to reject the fugitive intelligence leaker’s asylum request.

Correa added that the conversation took place on Friday and Biden “passed on a polite request from the United States to reject the request ...

What the United States needs to do, Correa said, is explain those once secret programs rather than focus on catching Snowden and “tear apart a president, government or country that dares to say it will process an asylum request if it receives one”.

http://inserbia.info/news/2013/06/united-states-should-explain-revealed-secret-programs-ecuador-president-correa/

[struggle4progress]

5. Ecuadorian president says he spoke with Biden about Snowden

... In his Saturday radio address, Correa said the chat with Biden was "extremely friendly, extremely cordial" and that he told the vice president that if Ecuador processes the asylum request from Snowden the "first to be consulted about it would be the United States" ...

Correa also recalled in his Saturday address that the United States has long denied Ecuador's request for the extradition of brothers Roberto and William Isaias, former owners of a bank that was at the center of a 1990s financial meltdown that cost Ecuadorian taxpayers more than $8 billion ...

http://www.laprensasa.com/309_america-in-english/2114361_ecuadorian-president-says-he-spoke-with-biden-about-snowden.html

[flamingdem]

7. I think Educador is going to do the Moonwalk away from Snowden

Wonder if Biden made any offers, it was implicit perhaps in the fact that he called him at all.

[Whisp]

8. Moonwalk....

[flamingdem]

11. to the Ecuadoran National anthem

and Assange singing over Skype?

[struggle4progress]

10. I wonder if Biden was just hoping to cool things down

[Cha]

12. Thank you for that report, struggle..

According to media reports, however, Ecuador has complicated Snowden's efforts to travel to the country due to concerns Assange was usurping the Andean nation's role in the matter. Correa said Friday that a travel document issued by Ecuador's London consul was not authorized, the reports said.

The Ecuadorian government said Thursday that it was voluntarily relinquishing U.S. trade preferences after Washington lawmakers called for the benefits to be revoked if Quito grants asylum to Snowden.

[Scurrilous]

6. I wonder if they sent him to his room w/ no TV, no internet for two weeks.

[longship]

9. Hoo boy! Snowden's in a bit of a pickle barrel.

And just maybe Julian Assange helped put him there? Am I interpreting this right?

Events are overtaking the situation and Snowden's options seem to be non-existent. I bet he now hopes for continued Russian tolerance, which seems to be all that remains of his hope.

I would bet that Putin is not going to allow the situation to go very far before he does something, either for or against. There's not much of a neutral stance left to any of the players and nobody seems willing to commit.

Regardless of how one thinks of Snowden, he should be correctly very worried right now.

This thing is unravelling faster than a Walmart sweater.

[struggle4progress]

13. Edward Snowden's plan to seek sanctuary in Ecuador is falling apart

As whistle-blower waits in limbo, Ecuadorean frustration at the 'grandstanding' of ally Julian Assange has put in doubt his quest for asylum
Sunday, 30 June, 2013 <UPDATED: 5:29AM>

The plan to spirit whistle-blower Edward Snowden to sanctuary in Latin America appears to be falling apart amid tension between Ecuador's government and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

President Rafael Correa halted a bid to help Snowden leave Russia amid concerns Assange was usurping the role of the Ecuadorean government, according to leaked diplomatic correspondence.

He declared invalid a temporary travel document which could have helped extract Snowden from his reported location in Moscow.

Correa declared that the safe conduct pass issued by Ecuador's London consul - in collaboration with Assange - was unauthorised. Other Ecuadorean diplomats privately said the WikiLeaks founder could be perceived as "running the show" ...

http://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1272029/edward-snowdens-plan-seek-sanctuary-ecuador-falling-apart