MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti) – Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said Saturday that he has spoken with US Vice President Joe Biden amid calls from the United States to reject fugitive intelligence leaker’s asylum request.
“President Correa reported that he had a very cordial telephone conversation with US Vice President Joseph Biden,” the president’s administration tweeted on Saturday.
The conversation followed days of traded remarks from US and Ecuadorian officials over former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden's request for asylum in Ecuador.
The AFP reported from Ecuador citing the president that Biden "passed on a polite request from the United States to reject the request" adding that the conversation took place on Friday. It didn’t elaborate on what was the answer of Correa, an outspoken critic of the US.
Snowden, whose US passport has been revoked, is wanted by Washington on espionage and theft charges following his leak of details of US state surveillance programs to the media earlier this month.
Authorities of Ecuador said earlier this week that they are still evaluating Snowden's asylum petition. Correa said there will be no decision made on Snowden's request unless he is on Ecuadorean territory.
He is believed to have remained in the transit zone of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport ever since his arrival from Hong Kong on Sunday.
