The White House said Friday that Russia granting political asylum to Edward Snowden would be on par with providing the National Security Agency leaker with a \u201cpropaganda platform\u201d to further harm the United States.<\/p>\n
\n During an address in Washington, DC Friday afternoon shortly
\n after Mr. Snowden issued a statement of his own from Moscow,
\n White House spokesperson Jay Carney said the administration\u2019s
\n position on the leaker remains that he be extradited to the US to
\n face charges of espionage.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cOur position on Mr. Snowden and the felony charges against him
\n and our belief that he ought to be returned to the United States
\n to face those felony charges is as it was,\u201d Carney told reporters
\n during a White House briefing.\n<\/p>\n
\n Earlier in the day, Snowden announced that he was officially
\n seeking asylum from Russia. He has been awarded asylum from a
\n number of Latin American countries, but flight restrictions have
\n left him unable to exist the transit lounge within an airport in
\n Moscow.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI ask for your assistance in requesting guarantees of safe
\n passage from the relevant nations in securing my travel to Latin
\n America, as well as requesting asylum in Russia until such time
\n as these states accede to law and my legal travel is permitted,\u201d
\n Snowden wrote in a statement released early Friday by
\n anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. \u201cI will be submitting my request
\n to Russia today, and hope it will be accepted favorably.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n During the address hours later across the pond, Carney said the
\n White House has communicated to Russia and a number of other
\n countries that Snowden be sent back to the US immediately.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI would simply say that providing a propaganda platform for Mr.
\n Snowden runs counter to the Russian government\u2019s previous
\n declarations of Russia\u2019s neutrality, and that they have no
\n control over their presence in the airport,\u201d Carney said.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt\u2019s also incompatible with Russia\u2019s assurances that they don\u2019t
\n want Mr. Snowden to further damage United States interests. But
\n having said that, our position also remains that we don\u2019t believe
\n this should\u2013and we don\u2019t want it to\u2013do harm to our important
\n relationship with Russia.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Carney added that US President Barack Obama has previously
\n scheduled a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir
\n Putin for later in the day.\n<\/p>\n