Poland’s foreign ministry says the fax sent by representatives of CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden asking for asylum does not conform to legal procedure and cannot be processed.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Marcin Bosacki said Tuesday, following an application for asylum by Snowden, currently believed to be a transit lounge in a Moscow airport, the request does not contain a copy of his passport, travel documents, photographs and other items required for it to proceed.
“The applicant must also be on Polish territory at the time of the request,” he said.
Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski tweeted yesterday, however, that even if Snowden’s documents were in order he would “not give a positive recommendation” for asylum to be granted to the 30 year-old American who leaked thousands of documents revealing the United States 'PRISM” system of surveillance.
Brazil and India joined Poland in rejecting the application outright and 11 countries said that Snowden must be in either the country or its embassy to apply for asylum.
Russian authorities have said that Snowden arrived at a Moscow airport last week without a passport.
“Snowden is in quite a desperate situation, he’s trapped,” former Polish foreign minister Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz told the TVN24 news channel.
“Without a passport, no airline will take him,” he said.
Cimoszewicz, who was foreign minister in the left wing SLD-led government from 2001 to 2005, added to criticism from EU officials after it was revealed by the German Der Spiegel magazine that the US had been spying on their European allies.
“The US is our ally, not a sacred cow. They also sometimes break the law,” he said.
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