Post date: Jul 13, 2013 11:48:2 AM
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russian authorities are not in contact with fugitive former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JULY 13, 2013) (REUTERS) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday (July 13) that Russian authorities were not in contact with fugitive former U.S. intelligencecontractor Edward Snowden.
Snowden, breaking weeks of silence, told a group of human rights activists inMoscow on Friday (July 12) that he was seeking temporary asylum in Russia and had no regrets about spilling U.S. spy secrets. He said he hoped to stay in Russiauntil he had "safe passage" to Latin America where a number of countries have offered him asylum.Speaking on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in Kyrgyzstan, Lavrov said that if Snowden wanted political asylum in Russia he needed to go through certain procedures.
"You know, we are not in contact with Snowden and the issues he discussed yesterday with human rights activists were widely reported in the media. I heard about them in the same way as everyone else. To obtain political asylum under Russian law you have to go through specific procedures. The first step in this process is to make a formal appeal to the Federal Migration Service," he said.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Friday, but appeared to make no headway on Washington's demand thatMoscow send Snowden back to the United States, where he is wanted on espionage charges.
Putin has made clear Russia would not extradite Snowden to the United States.
The disclosures have raised Americans' concerns about domestic spying and strained relations with some U.S. allies.