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Ecuador To Set Date For Assange To Be Questioned By Sweden


WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange holds a copy of a UN ruling as he makes a speech from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in central London in February.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange holds a copy of a UN ruling as he makes a speech from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in central London in February.

Ecuador says it's ready to set a date for Swedish prosecutors to question Julian Assange inside its London embassy -- a potential breakthrough in the years-long international impasse over the WikiLeaks founder.

Ecuador's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on August 11 that a date for the questioning in the embassy would be set "in the coming weeks."

Assange is wanted for questioning by Swedish police over alleged sexual offenses stemming from his visit to the country in 2010. He denies all the accusations against him made by two women.

In June 2012, he sought shelter in Ecuador's embassy in the British capital and has been holed up there ever since.

Assange fears that if he is extradited to Sweden he will be sent to the United States for prosecution over WikiLeaks' publication of secret documents.

He faces arrest by British police if he leaves the building and, with the exception of occasional trips to the embassy balcony, has not been outside for years.

Based on reporting by AP and dpa

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