MONTEVIDEO/moscow: South American leaders had strong words for Washington over allegations of US spying in the region and defended their right to offer asylum to fugitive former US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden.
Washington wants Snowden arrested on espionage charges after he divulged extensive, secret US surveillance programmes. Stuck in the transit area of Moscow’s international airport since late June, he is seeking asylum in various countries.
Capping two weeks of strained North-South relations over the Snowden saga, presidents from the Mercosur bloc of nations met in Montevideo. Complaints against the United States were high on the agenda, as Washington warned the international community not to help the 30-year-old Snowden get away.
“We repudiate any action aimed at undermining the authority of countries to grant and fully implement the right of asylum,” Mercosur said at the close of the summit. The statement called for “solidarity with the governments of Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela, which have offered to grant asylum to Edward Snowden.”
The Mercosur bloc comprises Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. “This global espionage case has shaken the conscience of the people of the United States and has upset the world,” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said.
The meeting began as reports emerged that Snowden wants to travel eventually to Latin America after seeking temporary asylum in Russia. The US-Russian relationship would be troubled if Moscow were to accept an asylum request from Snowden, the US State Department said. President Barack Obama raised US concerns with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
Leaders throughout Latin America are also furious over reports the US National Security Agency targeted most Latin American countries with spying programs that monitored Internet traffic, especially in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and Mexico.
In its statement, Mercosur said: “We emphatically reject the interception of telecommunications and espionage activities in our countries, as they are a violation of human rights and citizens’ right to privacy and information.”
Meanwhile, Russia kept Snowden at arm’s length on Saturday, saying it had not been in touch with the fugitive American and had not yet received a formal request for political asylum.
Remarks by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov signalled Russia is weighing its options after Snowden broke three weeks of silence and asked for refuge in Russia until he can secure safe passage to Latin America.
“We are not in contact with Snowden,” Russian news agencies quoted Lavrov as saying in Kyrgyzstan, where he attended a foreign ministers’ meeting. Lavrov said that under Russian law, asylum seekers must first make an official appeal to the Federal Migration Service. But its director, Konstantin Romodanovsky, said yesterday that the agency had not yet received such a request from Snowden.
Agencies
