7 Jul 2013

Three Latin American countries offer ayslum to Snowden

10:25 am on 7 July 2013

Bolivia is the latest Latin American country to offer asylum to former United States intelligence agency contractor Edward Snowden.

Snowden, 30, is believed to be holed up in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo international airport and has been trying to find a country that would take him since he landed from Hong Kong on June 23.

Washington is demanding his arrest for divulging details of secret US surveillance programmes.

Bolivian President Evo Morales had said earlier this week that he would consider granting asylum to Snowden. But he took a harder line on Saturday, angered that some European countries banned his plane from their airspace this week on suspicion it carried Snowden.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro also offered refuge to Mr Snowden late Friday and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said his country had received an asylum request and could agree to it "if circumstances permit."

Russia has kept the former National Security Agency contractor at arm's length, saying the transit area where passengers stay between flights is neutral territory and he would be on Russian soil only if he went through passport control.

It was not immediately clear how Snowden would react to the new offers from Latin America, nor reach the countries if he accepted.

There are no direct commercial flights between Moscow and Venezuela's capital, Caracas, and the usual route involves changing planes in Havana. It is not clear if Cuban authorities would let him transit, however, and there was no sign of Snowden aboard the flight to Havana on Saturday.