Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


                   Russia: Snowden Didn't Enter Its Territory

   by VOA News

   Russia is denying that Edward Snowden has entered its territory,
   although the former American intelligence contractor wanted by the U.S.
   is believed to be in the international transit zone of a Moscow
   airport.
   Snowden was believed to have flown Sunday to Moscow from Hong Kong,
   where he had been in hiding after revealing a pair of top secret U.S.
   surveillance programs and other confidential intelligence.
   ''Moscow's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday said Snowden had
   not crossed the Russian border. He denied any Russian involvement in
   Snowden's travel plans, and angrily rejected U.S. criticism of Moscow
   over the incident as "groundless and unacceptable."
   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday [1]demanded that Russia
   extradite Snowden, warning of negative consequences if it did not
   comply.
   The White House also blasted Beijing for "deliberately" allowing the
   30-year-old to leave the semi-autonomous Chinese territory of Hong
   Kong, despite a valid warrant for his arrest. It said the move
   "unquestionably" damaged U.S.-China relations.
   Beijing foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Tuesday that
   accusation is "groundless and unacceptable." She said it is
   unreasonable for Washington to question the Hong Kong government's
   handling of the affair "in accordance with the law."
   Mystery
   Although he is believed to be seeking asylum in Ecuador, Snowden's
   exact location remains a mystery after he failed to board a flight from
   Moscow to Cuba on Monday.
   President Barack Obama says the U.S. is using "all the appropriate
   legal channels" to try to apprehend the intelligence contractor.
   Ecuador's foreign minister, Richard Patino, said at a news conference
   in Vietnam Monday that Snowden has asked for asylum but he "can't give
   information on Snowden's whereabouts." Patino said his government has
   been in contact with Moscow.
   Ecuador says it is analyzing Snowden's request for asylum. Patino said
   Ecuador would consider the asylum request based on the "principles of
   its constitution."
   Snowden leaked documents showing that U.S. intelligence services have
   gathered data for years about patterns of telephone and Internet use.
   He said he believes the programs violate the privacy rights of
   citizens.
   Senior U.S. officials have said the surveillance programs do not
   monitor the content of phone conversations, but look for patterns in
   the metadata, including information on the time, date and numbers
   called.
   U.S. authorities also have said the programs prevented at least 50
   terrorist attacks worldwide since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the
   United States.  They have accused Snowden of weakening their ability to
   foil future plots.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [2]http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-denies-snowden-entered-its-ter
   ritory/1688615.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-lives-may-be-lost-due-to-snowden-betrayal/1688468.html
   2. http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-denies-snowden-entered-its-territory/1688615.html