Obama rules out barter for Snowden

In this file photo, Ed Snowden explains why he became a whistleblower. Photo: BBC

President Barack Obama has said there will be no "wheeling and dealing" as part of extradition attempts against US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.

Speaking on a visit to the West African nation of Senegal, Obama said the case would be handled through routine legal channels.

"I am not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker," he added.

Snowden, who faces espionage charges, flew to Moscow last weekend and requested asylum in Ecuador.

Obama said on Thursday that he had not called China and Russia's presidents about the case, adding: "I shouldn't have to."

'Damage done'
He told a news conference in the Senegalese capital Dakar: "I'm not going to have one case of a suspect who we're trying to extradite suddenly being elevated to the point where I've got to start doing wheeling and dealing and trading on a whole host of other issues."

He added: "My continued expectation is that Russia or other countries that have talked about potentially providing Snowden asylum recognise that they are a part of an international community and they should be abiding by international law."

Snowden's case has caused a diplomatic spat, with the US accusing Russia and China of helping him, which both nations deny.

Obama said the leak highlighted significant vulnerabilities at the National Security Agency, the US electronic spying organisation where Snowden worked as a contractor until last month.

"In terms of US interests, the damage was done with respect to the initial leaks," he said.

Ecuador said on Thursday it had not processed Snowden's asylum request because he had not reached any of its diplomatic premises.

The country also renounced its $23m (£15m) trade relationship with the US, saying its forthcoming renewal would not influence any decision on Snowden's case.

"Ecuador will not accept pressures or threats from anyone, and it does not traffic in its values or allow them to be subjugated to mercantile interests," said government spokesman Fernando Alvarado.

He also made an apparently tongue-in-cheek offer of economic aid to the US for human rights training.

The remarks come a day after the chairman of the US Senate foreign relations committee, Robert Menendez, suggested punishing Ecuador economically if it offered asylum to Snowden.

'Hypocritical'
The American is wanted for leaking to the media that the US is systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data under a surveillance programme known as Prism.

Senate intelligence committee chairwoman Dianne Feinstein has said Snowden could have up to 200 more sensitive documents with him.

He fled to Hong Kong on 20 May before flying to Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on Sunday, where Russian authorities say he remains in transit.

Hong Kong officials said Snowden had been allowed out of the territory because of a mistake in the middle name given on US arrest documents. But the US justice department dismissed that as a "pretext for not acting".

On Thursday, Beijing accused the US of "double standards" on cybersecurity.

China's defence ministry said the Prism programme "has revealed the concerned country's true face and hypocritical behaviour".

Although Russia has no extradition treaty with the US, Washington says it wants Moscow to extradite Snowden without delay.

But Russia said the American, who turned 30 last week, was technically not yet under its jurisdiction because he had not passed through immigration.

Russia denies reports its secret police have questioned Snowden, who has had his US passport revoked.

Venezuela has also said it would consider an asylum application from him.