Ecuador unilaterally scraps U.S. trade deal

The leftist government of Ecuador, under pressure from the Obama administration for considering a request for sanctuary from the American intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, announced Thursday that it will back out of a preferential trade pact with the United States that top Ecuadoran officials say is being used to blackmail their country.

Jose Jacome/EPA - Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa smiles at the crowd during a military act at the Presidential Palace in Quito, Ecuador, June 24, 2013.

The move, which President Rafael Correa’s government described as unilateral, came a day after the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee pledged to do all he could to block trade benefits for Ecuador should it grant Snowden political asylum.

Ecuador may consider political asylum for Syria’s Assad

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AFP Photo/Presidenciq De Ecuador/Addounia TV)

After granting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange political asylum, Ecuador may consider doing the same for embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad and his inner circle, if he asks for it.

Speaking to Brazilian daily Folha de Sao Paulo, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said, “Any person who requests asylum in Ecuador, we will consider as a human being whose basic rights we must respect.”

“We would analyze such a request with all responsibility,” he added.