guardian.co.uk,
Reuters in London, Sunday 26 August 2012
 |
| A policeman stands outside the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where Julian Assange has been living for more than two months. Photograph: Max Nash/PA |
Britain
says it remains committed to reaching a diplomatic solution to the presence of
Julian Assange in Ecuador's London embassy, after both countries took steps to
defuse a row over his action in taking refuge.
The
WikiLeaks founder has been living in the embassy's cramped quarters for more
than two months in an attempt to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is
wanted for questioning over rape and sexual assault allegations.
Ecuador's
president, Rafael Correa, said on Saturday that Britain had withdrawn a threat to enter the embassy to arrest Assange, to whom Ecuador has granted asylum, and
that he now considered the "unfortunate incident" over.
Correa was
responding to a British assurance that it was not threatening the embassy and
that Britain was committed to the Vienna convention, which protects the
inviolability of diplomatic premises.
"We
remain committed to the process of dialogue we have entered into and we want
that to resume with the government of Ecuador," a British Foreign Office
spokeswoman said.
There was a
furious reaction in Ecuador when the UK said that an obscure domestic law
allowed it, under extreme circumstances, to remove the embassy's diplomatic
status, exposing Assange to immediate arrest by police.
Ecuador
accused Britain of planning to storm the embassy and demanded it withdraw the
threat.
Britain
said it had not meant to threaten Ecuador, a plea that fell on deaf ears,
prompting it to send Ecuador a formal communication on Thursday confirming that
the embassy was safe.
The
communication was copied to diplomats at a meeting on Friday of the
Organisation of American States (OAS) in Washington, which discussed the spat.
A British
diplomat attending the meeting invited Ecuador to resume "constructive
discussions" on Assange, the Foreign Office said. "We believe that
our two countries should be able to find a diplomatic solution," the
diplomat added, according to a transcript issued by the Foreign Office.
Britain
says it is determined to fulfil a legal obligation to send Assange to Sweden.
Correa
responded to the British diplomatic approach by saying in his weekly media
address on Saturday: "We consider this unfortunate incident over, after a
grave diplomatic error by the British in which they said they would enter our
embassy."
The OAS had
condemned the British threat, and South American foreign ministers backed
Correa's position that Britain's warning was unacceptable and could set a
dangerous precedent.
Correa says
he shares Assange's fears that, if handed over to Sweden, he might be
extradited to the United States to face charges over WikiLeaks' 2010
publication of US cables.
US and
European government sources say the United States has issued no criminal
charges against the WikiLeaks founder and has made no attempt to extradite him.
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