Assange can spend years in Ecuadorian embassy

PanARMENIAN.Net - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could spend years holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in a bid to dodge extradition to Sweden, an expert said.

According to The Tepegraph, diplomatic adviser Paul Whiteway warned that Assange's bid for asylum could take 'a long time to resolve.'

He was also doubtful about whether the WikiLeaks chief, who faces allegations of rape in Sweden, would be allowed to leave the country even if granted asylum, as it could lead to other suspected criminals trying to seek refuge in foreign embassies.

Whiteway, the London director of diplomatic consultancy International Diplomat, said Ecuador would be 'anxious' to avoid upsetting Britain or Sweden and that Assange may have called President Rafael Correa's bluff by accepting his 2010 offer of asylum.

Whiteway added: "Taking refuge in an embassy is one thing but leaving it and going to the country where that embassy belongs is quite another.”