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SNOWDEN'S FATE UNCLEAR DESPITE ASYLUM OFFERSBY NATALIYA VASILYEVA * Jul 6, 1:32 PM EDT
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MOSCOW (AP) -- Edward Snowden has found supporters in Latin America, including three countries who have offered him asylum. But many obstacles stand in the way of the fugitive NSA leaker from leaving a Russian airport - chief among them the power and influence of the United States.
Because Snowden's U.S. passport has been revoked, the logistics of him departing are complicated. Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia have made asylum offers over the past two days, but the three countries haven't indicated they would help Snowden by issuing a travel document, which he would need to leave Russia.
The former NSA systems analyst, who is charged with violating U.S. espionage laws, is believed to be stuck in the transit area of Moscow's main international airport after arriving June 23 from Hong Kong.
Russia doesn't appear willing to help him leave the airport, with Kremlin spokesman Alexei Pavlov saying Saturday the issue of Snowden's travel documents is "not our business." On Monday, President Vladimir Putin said Snowden would be offered asylum in Russia if he stopped leaking U.S. secrets. Snowden then withdrew his Russian asylum bid, a Russian official said.
While President Barack Obama has publicly displayed a relaxed attitude toward Snowden's movements, saying last month that he wouldn't be "scrambling jets" to capture him, other senior U.S. officials have used unusually harsh language that they want him back.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said China had "unquestionably" damaged its relationship with Washington for not returning Snowden, who recently turned 30, from semi-autonomous Hong Kong while he was still there.
"The Chinese have emphasized the importance of building mutual trust," Carney said last month. "We think that they have dealt that effort a serious setback. If we cannot count on them to honor their legal extradition obligations, then there is a problem."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NSA_SURVEILLANCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-07-06-12-15-45
Obama may not be "scrambling jets", but you can bet your booties that the USA's "Shadow Government" is in full panic mode, pulling out all the stops to apprehend Mr. Snowden; while their front man in the WH pretends to be unconcerned. Quite an odd juxtaposition imho.
NOTE TO DU ADMIN: This was posted in another forum, and locked by Admin. for being "off-topic". The mod conceded that this was "good information", said "we hope you will repost ... as an OP in the GD". I looked to see if it had been reposted and couldn't find it, so am doing it myself. If it actually WAS reposted in GD, then by all means I'd be happy to self-delete.
flamingdem
(39,321 posts)99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)i.e. some of Snowden's trove of NSA info reflects poorly on Mr. Putin.
flamingdem
(39,321 posts)Which part was that, hard to keep track
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)on my part. Or perhaps a deduction, from the fact that the AP article said Putin offered Snowden a "deal" (asylum) BUT ONLY IF Snowden "stopped leaking U.S. secrets".
Cleita
(75,480 posts)once one of the countries involved issues him traveling papers.
http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-snowden-moscow-20130706,0,6155930.story
I did an op but no one was interested.
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)If those three Latin American nations really are sincere in their offers (and I'm certain
at least one or two of them ARE), then why the fuck would they refuse to issue Snowden
the necessary traveling papers for him to leave Russia?
Makes absolutely NO sense whatsoever.
Cleita
(75,480 posts)I think you will see something happen after Monday.
winter is coming
(11,785 posts)99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)I like imagining that happening. It makes me smile. Thanks.
frazzled
(18,402 posts)Or so at least 4,678 posts over the past two weeks have argued.
So it should be of no interest to us whether Snowden is successful or not in his bid to gain asylum in one of these (pretty terrible on civil liberties) countries. We shouldn't care about his personal issues ... whether he becomes a permanent resident at the no-transit zone, gains asylum in another country, or is brought back to the US to face charges.
It's not about him.
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)Your gross distortion of the "it's not about Snowden" opinions
expressed on DU, is duly noted.
PS - You forgot to use a sarcasm smilie