Britain is seeking an amicable solution with Ecuador to their diplomatic standoff over WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a U.K. official said Saturday.
Assange, who took shelter in the Ecuadorian embassy on June 19 after he exhausted all routes of appeal in the U.K. to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning over sexualmisconduct allegations, is scheduled to make a public statement today.
London diplomats have spoken with Ecuadorian ambassador Ana Alban since the South American country granted Assange asylum on Thursday, a move that threatens to further complicate Sweden's two-year bid to have the activist extradited from Britain.
British officials in Ecuador's capital, Quito, have contacted the country's foreign ministry to discuss a resumption of talks over the case, and to quell anger after Britain appeared to suggest it could invoke a little-known law to strip Ecuador's embassy of diplomatic privileges - meaning police would be free to move in and detain Assange.
Diplomats have repeated assurances that Britain was simply setting out the country's legal options, not making a specific threat to storm the nation's mission - a small apartment.
"We are continuing to seek a diplomatic solution," a British government official said. "We remain ready to continue the conversations we have had, but that is now a question for the Ecuadorians."
Britain had held seven rounds of formal talks with Ecuador over the stalemate before Thursday's decision. Foreign Secretary William Hague insists Britain has no option but to meet the obligations of a European arrest warrant and send Assange, 41, to Stockholm.
