The Snowden NSA Case's Secret Story: Turmoil in South

America
This is an English translation of a Univision News exclusive, first published July 1.
The granting of a safe-conduct pass by the government of Ecuador to former CIA agent and NSA
contractor Edward Snowden generated a crisis in the Andean country's diplomatic circles, according
to documents and communications obtained exclusively by Univision News.
The evidence shed light on contradictions by the Ecuadorian government both regarding the issuing
of the document and the participation of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who is currently claiming
asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
The safe-conduct was processed before Snowden left Hong Kong for Moscow, and was in fact
delivered to the former intelligence agent in Hong Kong, as Snowden himself revealed in a thank you
letter sent to President Rafael Correa and made public this Monday.
Correa had already admitted publicly that the Ecuadorian consul in London, Fidel Narvez, had
given the safe-conduct to Snowden, adding that the document "was not valid."
"I didn't know that Snowden was on his way to Ecuador. He was in Hong Kong, I don't know why he
went to Russia, and given his despair because they were going to take his passport away and
capture him, our consul (in London) makes a grave mistake and gives him a safe-conduct with no
validity, without the government's knowledge and without authorization," said the president.
Correa also denied that he, personally, knew about the safe-conduct, stating that he was in a "forest"
on the outskirts of Quito, without phone coverage, when the document was created in London on the
morning of Saturday, June 22.
Univision established that at least four important diplomats and three high-ranking advisors to the
administration in Quito, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Ricardo Patio Aroca, and Rafael
Correa's legal counsel, had knowledge of and participated in the diplomatic dealings to assist
Snowden.
The Ecuadorian consul in London, Fidel Narvez, prepared the special document to guarantee
protection for Snowden in the event that he had to travel, while the American ex agent was still in
Hong Kong and had not yet made an official request for asylum.
The document, which offered Snowden protection to travel to Ecuadorian territory with the purpose
of being granted political asylum, was prepared by Vice Consul Javier Mendoza and was edited by
Consul Narvez for 48 minutes according to the document's metadata.
"The General Consul of Ecuador in London grants this SAFEPASS to the below mentioned citizen.
This document is granted to allow the bearer to travel to the territory of Ecuador for the purpose of
political asylum. It is requested to the relevant authorities of the transit countries to give the
appropriate help, so that the bearer of this document may continue his trip to Ecuador," reads the
document.