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Entering embassy 'suicide' for UK - Antitheist Blog



It would be "suicide for Great Britain" if authorities tried to enter Ecuador's embassy in London to reach Julian Assange, the country's president has said.
Rafael Correa said that if the British authorities forced their way into the London site to arrest the WikiLeaks founder, then other people should be able to gain access to British embassies in foreign countries.

Mr Assange, who is wanted in Sweden for questioning on sexual assault allegations, has been seeking refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for two months, sparking a diplomatic row between the South American country and the UK.

Speaking on state television, Mr Correa said such a course of action would be "suicide for Great Britain because then people could enter their diplomatic premises all around the world and they wouldn't be able to say a thing."
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He added: "While the United Kingdom hasn't retracted nor apologised, the danger still exists.
"Remember that David beat Goliath. And with many Davids it's easier to bring down a number of Goliaths.
"So we're hoping for clear and coherent backing because this violates all inter-American law, all international law, the Vienna Convention and all diplomatic traditions of the last, at least, 300 years on a global scale."

Foreign ministers from across South America have called for dialogue between the two countries, issuing a statement of support for Ecuador following the meeting of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) in the country.

In the statement, released after the 20-minute meeting, the ministers "condemned the threat of the use of force between states" and reiterated "the right of states to concede asylum".
Unasur's meeting was held a day after Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Argentina endorsed Ecuador's asylum decision. Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Chile are among Latin American nations that have not taken a stand.

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