Ecuador Invokes Treaty in Assange Row with Britain

Ecuador said Thursday that Britain could grant safe passage to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange under an extradition treaty between the two countries dating back to the 19th century.

The treaty -- signed September 20, 1840 -- makes it possible to "demonstrate to the United Kingdom that it can deliver safe passage," Ecuador's foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, told South American broadcaster Telesur.

The text "foresees that no one shall be extradited if the offense in question is not political in nature," Patino added.

The minister said he had addressed the issue with his British counterpart, Foreign Secretary William Hague, when the two met earlier Thursday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Hague "recognized the validity of this accord, even if his interpretation differs from ours," according to Patino.

Following their meeting, both sides said they had yet to resolve their differences over Assange, who sought refuge in the Ecuadoran embassy in London in June to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning in a sexual assault case, and was later granted diplomatic asylum by Quito.

The Australian activist claims the case against him is political and has been orchestrated by the United States, which was infuriated by WikiLeaks's release of thousands of U.S. frontline war reports from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as a slew of confidential diplomatic cables.

The 41-year-old fears that if extradited, Sweden will hand him over to the United States, where he could face prosecution.