Union of South American Nations Calls Crisis Summit Over U.K. ‘Threats’ to Seize Assange

[Poll_Blind]

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-08-16/unasur-calls-crisis-summit-over-u-dot-k-dot-threats-to-seize-assange
[div class="excerpt" style="border: 1px solid #bfbfbf; border-bottom: none; border-radius: 0.3846em 0.3846em 0em 0em; box-shadow: 2px 2px 6px #bfbfbf;"]Unasur Calls Crisis Summit Over U.K. ‘Threats’ to Seize Assange[div class="excerpt" style="border: 1px solid #bfbfbf; border-top: none; border-radius: 0em 0em 0.3846em 0.3846em; background-color: #f4f4f4; box-shadow: 2px 2px 6px #bfbfbf;"]Ecuador said the Union of South American Nations called an emergency meeting to discuss U.K. “threats” to seize WikiLeak’s founder Julian Assange from inside its embassy in London.

The 12-nation group, known as Unasur, will hold a meeting of foreign ministers on Aug. 19 in the Ecuadorean coastal city of Guayaquil, according to a statement published today in the country’s presidential gazette. Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said yesterday he also requested an emergency meeting of the Washington-based Organization of American States as well as the Venezuelan-led group of nations known as ALBA.

Ecuador accused the U.K. yesterday of threatening to “assault” its embassy in London and arrest Assange, who is seeking sanctuary in the South American nation. Today, Assange was granted asylum over U.K. objections, setting up a confrontation with Britain after it said it would not allow him safe passage out of the country.

Stay tuned for round one of Sino-American empire vs. South America this Sunday. Fading and fledgling empires are requested to bring proxies and ringers one hour early for check-in.

Reports are that Assange will speak publicly from the Ecuadorian embassy in London on the same day.

PB

[russspeakeasy]

1. Thanks for the Olympics. Now fuck off.

[WillyT]

2. HUGE K & R !!!

[HooptieWagon]

3. I guess all the hot air and bluster coming from 10 Downing

kept them from seeing the pile of shit they stepped in. Sorry Brits, your time of ordering the rest of the world around ended about 100 years ago.

[Poll_Blind]

4. Whoever came up with the idea to do this:

Is probably starting to regret it about now. Wikileaks reported, BTW, there are now 35 police officers outside the embassy.

Nothing like a standoff to keep attention focused by international media...which doesn't seem to play into the hands of the British government at all. I wonder if Nightline will start doing the nightly "Standoff: Day X" reports...

PB

[HooptieWagon]

5. Yep, pretty stupid and poorly thought out.

I wonder how many Ecuadoran troops are surrounding the British embassy in Quito?

[flamingdem]

6. The Brits just set sail to the Falklands

someone got the memo confused