InfoAnda - Britain's best bet to handle Assange: sit and wait |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Phone banking service launched in Africa, Mideast | 16 March 2009
Samsung Life's IPO draws huge response from investors | 4 May 2010
Serbia ex-president shakes hands with Kosovo PM | | 7 July 2012

Clinton pledges "unshakeable" bond with Israel | 17 March 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Britain's best bet to handle Assange: sit and wait |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Aerospace & Defense Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Campaign Polling Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) Pictures Editor's choice Our best photos from the last 24 hours. Slideshow Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Clues sought to explain British filmmaker Tony Scott's suicide | 5:16pm EDT China's Gu Kailai gets suspended death sentence | 8:42am EDT Assange berates United States from Ecuador Embassy balcony | 19 Aug 2012 Augusta, home of the Masters, admits first women members 3:18pm EDT India: Text message threats, rumors came from Pakistan | 18 Aug 2012 Discussed 138 Obama’s lead over Romney grows despite voters’ pessimism 122 Romney to announce vice presidential choice Saturday 94 Analysis: Are Israelis tough enough for a long war with Iran? Sponsored Links Pictures Reuters Photojournalism Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption Seeing double A look at the world of twins. Slideshow Suicides in China A look at attempted suicides in China and their aftermath. Slideshow Britain's best bet to handle Assange: sit and wait Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Ecuadoreans rally behind president over Assange asylum 5:02pm EDT Analysis & Opinion Britain basks in its jingoistic achievement Why enhanced reputation could be the real legacy for Britain of London 2012 Related Topics World » WikiLeaks » Supporters of Ecuador President Rafael Correa gather to show their support for the government's decision to give political asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, in the main square of Quito August 20, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Gary Granja By Mohammed Abbas LONDON | Mon Aug 20, 2012 5:02pm EDT LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's options in dealing with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange are limited and British lawyers and diplomats reckon its best course of action is simply to sit tight and wait. Assange took refuge at Ecuador's London embassy in June to avoid being extradited to Sweden where he faces questioning over rape allegations. It triggered a diplomatic standoff that turned heated last week when Britain threatened to raid the diplomatic mission and Ecuador granted Assange political asylum. By prompting Latin American accusations of colonial arrogance, and suggesting a move that may well be illegal and would certainly set a dangerous precedent for its own diplomats, Britain was unwise to make the threat, many legal and diplomatic experts say, however frustrating it finds Ecuador's position. But Quito's leftist and ardently anti-Washington president Rafael Correa, and Assange himself, who made a first appearance in two months from an embassy balcony on Sunday, also have few options, they argue. So Britain has little to gain from haste. "I don't think for Assange the possibility of spending months or even years at the Ecuadorean embassy is very attractive," said Francisco Panizza, who studies Latin American affairs at the London School of Economics. "And in a way, Britain has everything to gain by playing the waiting game." While the 41-year-old Australian anti-secrecy campaigner has won a right to live in Ecuador, he has no obvious way of getting there without being arrested by British police who say they are legally obliged to send him to Stockholm. Britain and Sweden do not accept Assange's view that he is a victim of a U.S. "witch-hunt" and Washington has said it has no interest in the matter. Last week, Britain said it had a legal right to remove the embassy's diplomatic status and then enter to arrest Assange. But many lawyers question that view and diplomats have said that it would put British envoys at risk of repercussions abroad. "There's no obvious direct action they can take. I exclude the possibility of their simply barging into the embassy," said Oliver Miles, a former British ambassador to Libya. He said breaking off diplomatic relations with Ecuador would be more "realistic", but not very attractive, way to resolve an impasse to which the British government says it is seeking a "diplomatic solution" and still "exploring all the options". GUARANTEE? One such option could be for Britain to offer a guarantee that Assange will not be extradited from Sweden to the United States. Under international law, Britain must give its consent for someone it has extradited to be sent on to a third country. However, giving Assange some form of guarantee in advance that Britain would block further extradition may be problematic. "I don't think that's actually realistic," said Dapo Akande, a lecturer in public international law at Oxford University. "That would mean Britain would have to give this guarantee in the abstract, without knowing precisely what re-extradition might entail, what evidence might be available and what the precise charges would be," he said. "More likely, I think, is the option of just waiting it out, because it's very difficult to see what Britain's other options are." A strategy of waiting might be encouraged by Assange's record of falling out with allies. Some journalists, celebrity sympathizers and fellow advocates for freedom of speech have distanced themselves from him after acrimonious disputes. The former computer hacker is also an unlikely bedfellow for Ecuador's government, which stands accused of trying to muzzle media critics. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists describes Correa's press freedom record as "among the very worst in the Americas". Craig Barker, a law professor at Sussex University, said both Assange and the Ecuadoreans may tire of each other in time: "My thinking is that the best way for the Brits to go forward from this is simply to allow Assange to remain in the Ecuadorean embassy until he gets tired of it, the media gets tired of it and the Ecuadoreans get tired of it," he said. "Depending on Assange's ongoing activities, there may be something that would embarrass them. He isn't the type to stay quiet. He's going to have to keep bringing his case to the media, and the Ecuadoreans will begin to wonder what the benefit is to them." (Additional reporting by Estelle Shirbon, Michael Holden and Karolin Schaps; Editing by Alastair Macdonald) World WikiLeaks Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Tuesday, 21 August 2012
Analysis: Afghanistan's peace hopes may rest on Taliban captive |
Obama deeply concerned over Afghan insider attacks |
Car bomb kills eight near Turkey's border with Syria |
Court seen reinstating Romanian president in referendum ruling |
Malta's former prime minster Dom Mintoff dies at 96 |
Seven arrested over attack on East Jerusalem Arab |
U.S. seizes $150 million from Lebanese bank in laundering scheme |
Britain's best bet to handle Assange: sit and wait |
Apple becomes most valuable company of all time |
Google list of paid bloggers not sufficient, judge says |
Judge rejects Facebook settlement over ad feature |
Shoparoo app helps raise money for schools |
Pioneering comedian Phyllis Diller dies at age 95 |
Rihanna admits she still loves Chris Brown |
Fox promotes broadcast TV executive Kevin Reilly |
Rosie O'Donnell says lucky to be here after heart attack |
Happily Divorced actress Tichina Arnold is wed |
Top U.S. general's aircraft damaged by rockets in Afghanistan |
Ethiopian strongman Meles dies abroad |
Exclusive: Iran looks to Armenia to skirt bank sanctions |
Obama warns Assad U.S. could act |
Analysis: Afghanistan's peace hopes may rest on Taliban captive |
Kurdish militant group says not behind Turkey bomb |
Iran unveils new missile, other weapons |
Gunfire outside Yemeni intelligence HQ in Aden |
Lonmin says sacking striking miners could lead to more violence |
Japan hints at economic action in South Korea island feud |
Samsung to invest $4 billion in U.S. plant to make more mobile chips |
Apple's market value exceeds Microsoft's during 1999 bubble |
Apple, Samsung CEOs talk but no trial settlement reached |
Facebook director Thiel sold 20 million shares after lockup |
Ailing startup OnLive slashes staff, seeks more funding |
Clues sought in suicide of film director Tony Scott |
Pioneering comedian Phyllis Diller dies at age 95 |
Michael J. Fox to star in TV comedy as dad with Parkinson's |
San Francisco flower power singer Scott McKenzie dead at 73 |
Fox studio to distribute Dreamworks Animation films |
Iran unveils new missile, starts air defense site |
Four dead in Lebanon clashes that echo Syria conflict |
U.S., Japan follow EU, slam Argentine protectionism at WTO |
Assange asylum seen as travesty of justice in Sweden |
Ukraine stays extradition of Putin murder plot suspect |
Three religions meet in suburban Paris prayer space |
Hackers target website of Russian court that jailed Pussy Riot |
Infosys rises after whistleblower lawsuit dismissed |
India cracks down on Internet after communal violence |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01