Julian Assange’s fate depends on Ecuador and Sweden: U.K Foreign Office

Britain won’t rush to evict WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange from his residence inside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London following the election this week of a new president of Ecuador, the U.K. Foreign Office said Monday.

Preliminary results indicate Ecuador picked Lenin Moreno as its next leader Sunday by narrowly favoring the socialist candidate in lieu of Guillermo Lasso, a conservative who said he would make Mr. Assange find a new home if elected president.

Amid calls for a recount, the British government indicated Monday that it won’t push for Mr. Assange’s eviction regardless of the outcome.

“This is an issue for Sweden and Ecuador. We encourage both countries to find a solution to the situation involving Julian Assange,” a spokesperson for the U.K. Foreign Office told Australia’s Fairfax Media.

A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Theresa May deferred comment to the Foreign Office, Fairfax Media reported. Mr. Assange could not immediately be reached for comment.

Speaking to the Miami Herald last month, Mr. Lasso said he would “very politely” ask Mr. Assange to leave Ecuador’s embassy if elected president, “in absolute compliance with international conventions and protocols.”

Mr. Moreno, meanwhile, said the WikiLeaks publisher is welcome to stay at its embassy as long as he behaves.

“We will always be alert and ask Mr. Assange to show respect in his declarations regarding our brotherly and friendly countries,” Mr. Moreno said, according to The Guardian.

Mr. Assange, of Australia, was granted asylum by Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa in 2012.

British police has been instructed to arrest him in accordance with a 2011 Swedish warrant, however, prompting him to remain inside the embassy since first taking refuge.

Mr. Assange said previously that he fears surrendering to British or Swedish authorities will lend to being extradited to the United States and charged in connection WikiLeaks’ publication of classified documents.