LONDON: Britain’s Foreign Office was tightlipped yesterday over a proposal from Ecuador that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange be transferred from London to Sweden but stay under Quito’s protection.
Sweden’s foreign ministry for its part said Stockholm had not received any approach from Quito and would not speculate on the proposal. Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said he was weighing such a transfer as a possible alternative for Assange to “remain under our protection while also satisfying the demands of the Swedish justice system.”
Assange took shelter in the Ecuadoran embassy in London in June after exhausting all appeals against extradition from Britain to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over sexual assault allegations. Ecuador has granted him diplomatic asylum.
Patino hinted at “new” developments in the Swedish case, saying “several elements of proof have been dismissed,” though he declined to provide further details. Patino said he planned to discuss the issue with his British counterpart William Hague on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. In London, the Foreign Office refused to be drawn on the Ecuadoran proposal.
AFP
