Assange asylum 'may harm Ecuador'

[struggle4progress]

AFP
July 10, 2012 4:26AM

Ecuador's ambassador to Washington has expressed concerns that granting political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could be used to discredit Quito in the US.

"Giving asylum to Assange would be used as ammunition to attack the country," Ambassador Nathalie Cely said in a radio interview ...

Ms Cely said salvos already have been launched by pressure groups seeking to "disparage her country in the eyes of US business leaders and policymakers."

In the interview with Radio Majestad, the envoy said that recriminations against Quito for sheltering Assange "already have begun" ...

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/breaking-news/assange-asylum-may-harm-ecuador/story-e6frg13l-1226422168955

[leveymg]

1. Sounds like she likes her cushy job in Washington.

Meanwhile, the US Ambassador to AUS says we're not interested in Assange. They both couldn't be right, could they?

[struggle4progress]

3. It's the Ambassador's job to know what's up and about, so she can advise her government on it

What's up and about, in a city like DC, reflects all manner of different influences, and how well the Ambassador knows the ins and outs of THAT will depend on how broad her network of contacts is

The key to accurately parsing political is to know exactly who said exactly what in exactly which context -- and the more background one has on all parts of that, the better

Corporations worried about their emails being leaked are likely to want Wikileaks neutralized for example, but their lobbyists will probably not go after it so brazenly: they will pick a particular angle for their attack

DiFi in the Senate was arguably serving as a mouthpiece for the military-industrial interests that help bankroll her

Of course, the US Ambassador to Down Under probably just described the state of affairs as accurately as he could, to the best of his knowledge. He might have been instructed to lie, or he might have been deliberately misled, but those are less likely, since they would tend to undermine credibility, the sine qua non of successful diplomacy

Naturally, the actual view of the Justice Departmnt, concerning an espionage investigation, might not coincide with the view of corporate officials concerned about their own emails or of various Senators or Ambassadors

[SDjack]

2. Or, it could show that Ecuador is not a puppet. If we want their support, then we have to

earn it with honesty and truth. No one respects a puppet state, not even itself.

[struggle4progress]

4. Of course, the proximate matter is between Ecuador and the UK, since

Assange fled to the embassy to avoid being transported to Sweden under order of the UK courts. Perhaps the real matter is properly regarded as being between Ecuador and Sweden, since it is Sweden that has issued an arrest warrant for him. The claims, made by Assange, that the Swedish warrant is a pretext to set up his transport to the US for torture and/or execution, is an insult to European treaties governing successive extraditions: officials in both Sweden and the UK have pointed out that if Assange, in Sweden after extradition from the UK, were requested by the US, then both Sweden and the UK would be required to sign-off -- and Assange would be allowed to fight the required sign-offs in both Swedish and UK courts

Certainly, Ecuador has every interest in not acting as a US puppet -- but if the US itself applies no pressure, Ecuador also has some diplomatic interest in not offending Sweden or the UK

[Judi Lynn]

5. It's dishonest, and dirty to be able to threaten other countries like Ecuador

for following their consciences concerning situations like this.

Damned sad.

Shouldn't be possible.

[struggle4progress]

6. I wish she'd been more specific, but I guess it's probably

the usual suspects, just looking for a new soundbite as they wander DC trying as usual to talk up destabilizing Ecuador

[struggle4progress]

7. Ecuador 'won't be bullied on Assange extradition'

... "We will consult with everyone we need to, but we will make a sovereign decision on whether or not to grant asylum to the Australian, Julian Assange," he said in an interview with local television station RTS ...

Mr Correa said he had "great respect" for London, for Stockholm and for Washington but that Ecuador would not allow those governments to dictate its decision on whether or not to grant Mr Assange political asylum.

He said the mere possibility that Mr Assange could face capital punishment in the United States could be reason enough for his government to grant Mr Assange's asylum petition, if there was a chance he could end up there.

"If Assange's life is at risk, that is sufficient cause to approve his asylum," the leftist leader said, noting that "the death penalty exists in the United States for political crimes" ...

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/world/ecuador-wont-be-bullied-on-assange/story-fnd12peo-1226423044072

[Judi Lynn]

8. Good for Rafael Correa. That was a sensible response.

It's clear our "foreign policy" storms along with a life of its own, usually, unless someone like Jimmy Carter dares to try to make it more moral, as he did concerning Central America, etc.

Hope the State Department doesn't take this as an incentive to make life far harder for this excellent President.

Thanks for the updated info.

[struggle4progress]

10. Given what we saw (say) in Honduras, or more recently in Paraguay, I think inappropriate pressure

regarding Assange is the least of Ecuador's problems

The "let's destabilize Ecuador" fanboys will, of course, seize on anything, including Assange, to run their propaganda through official circles; but they'll be running some such propaganda, regardless of Assange, because he's really completely irrelevant to them

Any cloak-and-dagger folk, who want to neutralize Assange, would probably rather take him down in Ecuador, than in Sweden or the UK, since they have lots more experience taking folk down there -- though, frankly, I think he's too high profile now and too closely watched to be regarded as a major threat by them

[Judi Lynn]

11. I'll bet you're right. They've concentrated on Latin America for so long, it'd be a snap

to get to him there.

Lotsa prime contacts created over the years through the SOA, they've cultivated people everywhere in the Americas.

It may be he can kiss his keister goodbye if he goes there, after all.

That point you've made is sound. He could easily be handing them the perfect weapon to use against a very heavily supported President. A political human bomb.

[Zorro]

9. Wouldn't be surprised

if they try to smuggle him out of the UK during the Olympics.

They probably think the London police will be distracted by other events during that time.