The United States has contacted Ecuador regarding former National Security Agency employee Edward Snowden, who has requested asylum and is being sought by the US, said Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino.
The State Department sent a message to the Ecuadorian government, to our Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Quito regarding Snowden, a former advisor to the US National Security Agency, Ricardo Patino said in Vietnam where he is on a tour in a statement broadcast by Ecuadorian television.
For now, it is a verbal message. I have requested that they send it to us in writing, so that it can be taken into account during the consideration of Snowden’s asylum request, added the head of Ecuadorian diplomacy.
This contact has been confirmed by a US diplomatic source, AFP reports. The Ecuadorian government, led by socialist President Rafael Correa, is carefully considering Snowden’s asylum request.
The United States previously assessed that there is a clear legal basis for Snowden’s extradition from Russia where he is located, said White House National Security spokeswoman Kaitlin Hayden.
We are asking the Russian government to promptly extradite Snowden based on the strong cooperation between our law enforcement agencies, especially after the marathon bombing in Boston on April 15, she added.
To avoid any escalation of tensions, Hayden confirmed that the White House agrees with Putin regarding the fact that they do not want this affair to have negative consequences for their bilateral relations.
