His appearance was the culmination of a day of extraordinary events that began with the Swedish Prosecution Service denying that it had instructed the English Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to lodge an appeal against the granting of bail. The prosecutor’s office told Sky News, “The decision to appeal Mr. Assange’s bail was entirely the decision of the British authorities, we had nothing to do with it.”
Karin Rosander, director of communications for the Swedish prosecutor’s office, told the Guardian, “It is entirely up to the British authorities to handle it.”
Speaking that morning on BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme, Keir Starmer, head of the CPS, tried to conceal the revelation that it was the British authorities who had prevented Assange’s release, after he was first granted bail on Tuesday, December 14. He stated, “The general position and the nature of the arrangement is absolutely clear. The Crown Prosecution Service acts here as agents of the government seeking extradition, in this case the Swedish government. These proceedings are brought as agents of the Swedish government.”
The reference to acting as “agents” evades the question as to whether the UK had been asked to continue Assange’s detention, after it claimed that Sweden had appealed the decision.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/dec2010/assa-d17.shtmlLooks like this is becoming a hot potato.