General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Ecuador's the perfect place for Snowden. [View all]quinnox
(20,600 posts)But the foreign minister also made some "reflections" on this case, which will sound like music to Snowden's ears.
"The government of Ecuador puts principles above [political and commercial] interests," Patiño said. "In this case human rights principles."
"We would have to ask ourselves who has betrayed who, [in the Snowden case]" Patiño continued. "Did [Snowden] betray the interests of humanity, or did he betray the interests of certain political elites, in a certain country."
1. Ecuador is already protecting Julian Assange
2. Ecuador has weak extradition treaties with the U.S.
3. The Government of Ecuador profits politically from having Snowden around
Unlike Iceland, the Ecuadorean government has a proven record of saying no to U.S interests, so it is much more likely to tell the U.S. government to take a hike when it asks for Snowden's extradition.
President Rafael Correa has backed environmental lawsuits, against Chevron for example, that accuse the U.S. company of polluting large swathes of the Amazon rainforest.
"Correa wants international recognition, [as a defender of human rights]," Sanchez said. "This also allows him to show [domestically] that he is not a lackey of the U.S. like previous presidents of Ecuador."
4. President Correa will be around for a while
From Snowdens perspective, the political situation in Ecuador provides another important bonus. President Correa was just re-elected this year and has four years left in his current term. If Correa pushes for a law that allows for an unlimited number of re-elections like Chavez did in Venezuela, he could also be around for more than that.
Snowden will probably be safe in Ecuador while Correa is at the helm.
http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/News/ecuador-good-asylum-destination-edward-snowden/story?id=19476802#.Uck3K9hLGSo
My comment - Go Snowden!