UK recognizes that Assange cannot be extradited to Sweden

Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño met with UK Foreign Secretary William Hague during the UN General Assembly. Patiño says that Britain now recognizes that due to Assange's asylum status with Ecuador, he cannot be extradited to Sweden.

Patiño and Hague met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Thursday. A summary of the talks held between the two officials is that Patiño says he has received written confirmation from Britain that the country recognizes the validity of its 1880 extradition treaty with Ecuador. Under this agreement a person, like Assange, who has been granted political asylum in Ecuador, cannot be extradited to a third country... read more.

Interview with Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño of Ecuador

In an exclusive interview with Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño, he is asked about his concern over the U.K.'s threat to storm Ecuador's London embassy to arrest Julian Assange. Support received from ALBA and UNASUR is also discussed.

Just prior to the granting of asylum to Assange by Ecuador, the U.K. government had threatened to enter the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to arrest Assange for onward extradition to Sweden for questioning on alleged sexual charges, causing a diplomatic uproar.... read more and watch interview.

UK threatens to storm Ecuadorian embassy over Assange

As the decision over Julian Assange's asylum looms near, the U.K. is threatening to raid the Ecuadorian Embassy unless Assange is handed over for extradition to Sweden.

Reports from Ecuador on Wednesday state that the British government had threatened to raid its embassy in London if WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is not handed over.

After a meeting with President Rafael Correa, Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño told reporters, "Today we've received a threat by the United Kingdom, a clear and written threat that they could storm our embassy in London if Ecuador refuses to hand in Julian Assange." ... read more.