Ecuador ponders Assange compromise

Julian Assange has been holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London since June 19

22 September 2012

Officials in Ecuador say they will consider asking Britain to authorise the transfer of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to its embassy in Sweden so he can respond to sex crimes allegations there.

Foreign minister Ricardo Patino said there are several possibilities for resolving the stand-off with Britain over Assange, including "that his statement be taken in our embassy in London or that Ecuador get authorisation to transfer him, if necessary, to our embassy in Sweden so that the case can proceed there with the protection of Ecuador and meeting the needs of Swedish justice".

There was no immediate reaction from British officials.

Assange has been holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London since June 19, seeking to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning over sex crimes allegations.

He claims the Swedish sex case is part of plot to make him stand trial in the United States over his work with WikiLeaks, which has published large troves of secret US documents. Sweden and Washington reject the claim.

Ecuador granted the WikiLeaks founder political asylum on August 15, but British authorities will arrest him if he steps foot outside the diplomatic mission.