Ecuador Calls Regional Summit To Counter British Threats To Embassy Over Assange

By Eric Linton: Subscribe to Eric's RSS feed
August 16, 2012 8:40 PM EDT

Ecuador said Thursday night the Union of South American Nations has called an emergency meeting to discuss British threats to seize WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from inside its embassy in London.

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa granted Assange asylum Thursday morning, two months after he took refuge in the embassy.

The 12-nation group, known as Unasur, will hold a meeting of foreign ministers Sunday in the Ecuadorian coastal city of Guayaquil, according to a statement published Thursday in the country's presidential gazette, Bloomberg Businessweek reported. Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said Wednesday he also requested an emergency meeting of the Washington-based Organization of American States, as well as the Venezuelan-led group of nations known as ALBA.

Ecuador accused the UK Wednesday of threatening to "assault" its embassy in London and arrest Assange, who is seeking sanctuary in the South American nation. On Thursday, Assange was granted asylum over British objections, setting up a confrontation with Britain after it said it would not allow him safe passage out of the country.

"The unauthorized entry of any British authority into the Ecuadorian Embassy compound would be a flagrant violation" of international treaties protecting diplomatic missions, the statement said.