Quito: Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa slammed what he called Britain’s ‘vulgar threats’ to remove WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from the London embassy where he has been granted asylum.
“Never, as long as I am President, will Ecuador accept threats like these, which are absolutely vulgar, inconsiderate and intolerable,” Correa said. “We will not give up our sovereignty. We respect everyone, and we are always seeking dialogue, but the final decision is ours,” Correa added.
According to News 24, Ecuador said it had been informed in writing that Britain was willing to seize Assange from the embassy in order to extradite him to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over sexual assault allegations.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said that his government was obliged under its own laws to extradite Assange to Sweden, the report added.
“No one, least of all the government of Ecuador, should be in any doubt that we are determined to carry out our legal obligation,” Hague said. According to the report, Assange said that he fears Sweden will extradite him to the United States, which views WikiLeaks as a threat to its national security after it leaked some secrets on important military reports and confidential embassy cables.
Ecuador has granted asylum to Assange, but with British police posted outside the embassy it is unclear whether he will be able to leave the building, the report added.
ANI