Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed Tuesday that NSA
leaker Edward Snowden is at the Moscow airport but says since Snowden has not
committed a crime in that country, the government will not extradite him back –
as requested -- to the United States.
Putin told media outlets Snowden is currently in the transit
zone at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and says the sooner Snowden chooses a
destination, the better.
Putin, speaking at a press conference in Finland, also said
he hopes the Snowden case will not affect relations with the United States. He
then dismissed U.S. accusations against Russia over the Snowden case as
“rubbish,” and added that Russian security agencies "didn't work and aren't
working" with Snowden.
Commenting on a U.S. request to extradite him, Putin said
that Russia doesn't have an extradition agreement with the U.S. and thus
wouldn't meet the U.S. request.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry afterward acknowledged
there is no extradition treaty with Russia, but said there are standards of
behavior between nations. He said Russia should not side with an international
fugitive.
Earlier Tuesday, though, Russia's foreign minister Sergey
Lavrov said Snowden hadn't even crossed into Russian territory.
"We consider the attempts to accuse Russia of violation
of U.S. laws and even some sort of conspiracy, which on top of all that are
accompanied by threats, as absolutely ungrounded and unacceptable," Lavrov
said. "There are no legal grounds for such conduct of U.S. officials, and
we proceed from that."
The comments ratcheted up the stand-off between the two
countries over the globetrotting fugitive.
The leaker's evasion of U.S. extradition efforts has added
another headache for the Obama administration as it grapples with the steady
pace of intelligence leaks that Snowden has set into motion. The administration
is trying -- strenuously, it appears -- to convince a string of countries not
known for their friendliness toward the U.S. to keep Snowden in one place while
they negotiate his status.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney on Monday urged
Russia to ultimately turn him over.
"We do expect the Russian government to look at all the
options available ... to expel Mr. Snowden back to the United States,"
Carney said.
Carney was less measured about China.
"The Chinese have emphasized the importance of building
mutual trust," he said. "And we think that they have dealt that
effort a serious setback. ...This was a deliberate choice by the government to
release a fugitive despite a valid arrest warrant, and that decision
unquestionably has a negative impact on the U.S.-China relationship."
Carney did not provide other details about the status of
possible negotiations. Later in the day, President Obama commented briefly on
the case, saying the U.S. is working with other countries to ensure the rule of
law is followed.
Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder whose team is
assisting Snowden, separately claimed on a conference call to know Snowden's
location, but would only say that he is "healthy and safe."
"He's in a safe place," Assange said. "We
cannot go into further detail."
Assange and his colleagues accused the U.S. of trying to
bully other nations into turning him over, claiming Snowden can potentially
claim refugee status. Though the U.S. revoked Snowden's passport, Assange
revealed that Snowden was supplied with a refugee document when he left Hong
Kong by the Ecuadorean government, allowing him to travel.
Assange said Snowden has applied for asylum in Ecuador,
Iceland and possibly other countries. Meanwhile, Ecuador's foreign minister
said Monday that the country was considering Snowden's request.
But the Justice Department official said a revoked passport
should have stopped anyone in that circumstance from boarding a plane.
The U.S. government has been pressuring countries not to
provide him passage.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., wrote a terse letter to Russian
Ambassador Sergey Kislyak saying that, if Snowden is still in Russia, Moscow
should turn him over.
"The Snowden case is an important test of the 'reset'
in relations between our two countries. Mr. Snowden's own statements have made
clear his guilt. If our two nations are to have a constructive relationship
moving forward, Russian cooperation in this matter is essential," he
wrote. "If Mr. Snowden is still on Russian territory, I urge your
government to apprehend him and turn him over to the United States authorities
immediately."
Anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said earlier that Snowden was
ultimately bound for Ecuador "via a safe route for the purposes of asylum,
and is being escorted by diplomats and legal advisers from WikiLeaks."
Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino spoke to reporters
while in Vietnam on Monday, saying his country is analyzing Snowden's request.
He was critical of the U.S., saying it's unlikely Snowden would receive a fair
trial.
He said earlier that the asylum request "has to do with
freedom of expression and with the security of citizens around the world."
Snowden helped The Guardian and The Washington Post disclose
U.S. surveillance programs that collects vast amounts of phone records and
online data in the name of foreign intelligence, but often sweeping up
information on American citizens.
Officials have the ability to collect phone
and Internet information broadly but need a warrant to examine specific cases
where they believe terrorism is involved.
A State Department official said the United States was in
touch through diplomatic and law enforcement channels with countries that
Snowden could travel through or to, reminding them that Snowden is wanted on
criminal charges and reiterating Washington's position that Snowden should only
be permitted to travel back to the U.S.
The Justice Department said it would "pursue relevant
law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be
attempting to travel."
With each suspected flight, efforts to secure Snowden's return
to the United States appeared more complicated if not impossible. The United
States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, but does with Cuba,
Venezuela and Ecuador. Even with an extradition agreement though, any country
could give Snowden a political exemption.
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