Early reports on Wednesday indicated that National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden obtained permission to leave the transit area of a Moscow Airport, after authorities reportedly issued all proper documents enabling to cross the border into Russia, but his attorney Anatoly Kucherena said that he has not received all of them. Thus, he remains stuck in the transit area at Moscow airport for now, CNN reported.
Kucherena, who helped Snowden file his bid for temporary asylum in the country on July 16, hand delivered proper documentation, which would allow him to clear immigration at the airport, two local news stations in Russia reported on Wedneday.
Snowden's bid for temporary asylum may take up to three months to process. The American-in-exile has not ruled out seeking permanent Russian citizenship. Three other countries Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia have all said they would grant Snowden political asylum. The likelihood of having him travel to Latin America would be unlikely because of the potential for the U.S. to try and return him to the U.S. and face espionage charges.
Snowden is responsible for disclosing details of U.S. secret surveillance programs, and his American passport has already been canceled.
While President Obama said on June 27 that he is "not going to be scrambling jets to get a... hacker," the administration has been embarassed both by Snowden himself, and also by Russia's reluctance to extradite him back to the U.S. "In terms of U.S. interests, the damage was done with respect to the initial leaks.," the president said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been extremely uncooperative to the Americans, warning the U.S recently that his country will not yield to pressure to hand him over.
"We are an independent country and we have an independent foreign policy and we will carry it out. I hope our partners understand this and respond calmly," he said last week.
Snowden "should come home and have the courage to come face the charges against him," U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters in Washington. "The Russians know how strongly we feel in this case and how important it is for him to come home and face justice."
