London withdrew its threat to arrest Assange

Britain has withdrawn its threat to enter Ecuador's embassy in London and arrest WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has taken refuge there, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa said, easing a diplomatic dispute.

Ecuador's government said it had received "a notification from the British Foreign Office stating that there is no danger of anyone entering the embassy," Reuters reported.

Ecuador was furious after the British government warned it would try to arrest Assange, who has been holed up in the embassy building for more than two months trying to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for alleged rape and sexual assault.

Ecuador, which has granted Assage political asylum, demanded that London withdraw the threat.

The latest development should improve relations between the two countries and open the possibility of new negotiations on the fate of the WikiLeaks founder.

For now, Assange is "trapped" in the embassy while the British police wait outside. London said it was determined to enforce its legal obligations and extradite him to Sweden.

The Organization of American States condemned the British threat, and South American foreign ministers supported Korea's position that Britain's position was unacceptable and could set a dangerous precedent. Correa said he shares Assange's fears that in case of extradition to Sweden, he could be transferred to the US, where he is accused of publishing thousands of secret US diplomatic cables in 2010 via the WikiLeaks website.

Assange, who is known worldwide thanks to his friendships with the rich and famous, he spoke from the embassy balcony last weekend denouncing the US "witch hunt" against him and WikiLeaks.

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