Thaindian News

London, Aug 21 (IANS) It would be “suicide” for Britain to enter Ecuador’s embassy in London to arrest WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Ecuador President Rafael Correa has warned.

Correa warned such a provocative precedent would leave British embassies across the world facing similar “violating” moves by foreign governments, the Telegraph reported.

In an interview with Ecuador’s state TV, Correa suggested the diplomatic impasse with Britain was no closer to being solved.

He said that because British diplomats had yet to apologise or retract its threat to enter the London embassy, the “danger still exists”.

He condemned Britain for threatening to invade the embassy and seize Assange, in a move he described as “intolerable”.

While his government was “open to dialogue”, Correa insisted Britain was maintaining an “intransigent” position.

Assange is at the centre of a diplomatic row involving six countries on five continents, having skipped bail to avoid extradition to Sweden.

Correa said he was prepared to take the issue to the UN.

“It would be a suicide for Britain to enter the Ecuadorean embassy because then people could enter their diplomatic premises all around the world and they wouldn’t be able to say a thing,” Correa told ECTV public television.

“It will be a precedent that would allow later on for the diplomatic premises in other territories to be violated in every corner of the planet.”

“While Britain hasn’t retracted nor apologised, the danger still exists,” he said.

The British Foreign Office has insisted it will not grant Assange “safe passage” to Ecuador as it seeks a diplomatic solution to him being given asylum.

Assange, who is wanted in Sweden on allegations of serious sexual assault, has been warned that he faces immediate arrest if he steps outside the embassy in Knightsbridge.