海角大神

A former U.S. spy agency contractor facing charges of espionage remained in hiding at a听Moscow airport听on Wednesday while the prospect grew of a protracted wrangle over his fate.

Ecuador, where听Edward Snowden听has requested asylum, said a decision could take months and asked Washington to argue its case for extradition.听Russia听said Snowden, whose flight is proving a growing embarrassment for President听Barack Obama, was still in the transit area of听Sheremetyevo airport.

A leading U.S. senator sought to raise pressure on听Ecuador听by saying he would seek to end preferential access for its goods to the听United States听if it gave asylum to Snowden, while听Quito听denied it had given him any travel document.

Snowden fled the听United States听to Hong Kong this month after leaking details of secret听U.S. government听surveillance programmes, then flew on to听Moscow听on Sunday.

He has not been seen in the transit area - the zone between the departure gate and formal entry into the country - since his arrival, although a receptionist at a hotel in the transit zone said he looked at the prices there on Sunday, then left.

Russian President听Vladimir Putin听has denied that Snowden听was being interviewed by听Russian intelligence听and called any U.S. accusations that听Moscow听was aiding him "ravings and rubbish".

There was no sign of Snowden听registering for onward flights out of听Russia听on Wednesday.

"They are not flying today and not over the next three days," an Aeroflot representative at Sheremetyevo said when asked if Snowden听and his legal adviser, Briton听Sarah Harrison, were due to fly out. "They are not in the system."

'Serious security breach'

U.S. Defense Secretary听Chuck Hagel听said on Wednesday that Snowden's leaks to news media had been a "serious security breach" that damaged U.S. national security. He repeated calls for听Moscow听to hand him over.

"I would hope that the Russians do the right thing here," Hagel told a听Pentagon听news conference, adding that听Moscow听evidently had not made a final decision since Snowden听reportedly was still at the airport.

Putin has said he will not extradite Snowden. By declaring that he is in the transit area, Russian authorities maintain the position that he has not formally entered听Russia听- a step that would take the dispute to another level.

Russian law requires travellers who spend more than 24 hours in the airport's transit area - as Snowden听has done - to obtain a transit visa, which in some cases is valid for three days.

It is unclear whether Snowden听has sought or received a visa, and if so when it would expire. The听United States听said on Sunday it had revoked Snowden's passport.

Several people, mainly refugees, have been able to stay in听Moscow's airports for months.

What is clear is that the longer the situation remains unresolved, the more it could fray U.S.-Russian ties.

The former Cold War-foes are already at odds over human rights and Putin's treatment of opponents and have squared off over the听Syria听conflict in the U.N. Security Council.

Hagel reiterated criticism of听China听over Snowden's departure from Hong Kong. "We're very disappointed in the Chinese government in how they've handled this. And it could have been handled a different way," he said.

The听United States听has no extradition treaty with听Moscow, but says there is a clear legal basis for Snowden听to be handed over.听White House听spokesman听Jay Carney听said on Wednesday that U.S. and Russian officials were "having conversations" on the issue, but declined to give details.

Carney told reporters Washington could understand that Snowden's decision to go to听Moscow听"creates issues the Russian government has to consider."

"We also believe that when it comes to Mr. Snowden, well, we agree with President Putin that we don't want the situation to harm our relations," Carney said while travelling with Obama to听Africa.

Russian Foreign Minister听Sergei Lavrov听repeated Putin's view that Snowden听should choose a destination and fly out as soon as possible, state-run听Itar-Tass听news agency reported.

Putin, a former KGB officer, may feel little sympathy for someone who has broken the secrecy code. He has suggested the surveillance methods revealed by Snowden听were justified in fighting terror, if carried out lawfully.

Russia appears in no hurry听

But Snowden听could be a useful propaganda tool for听Moscow, which accuses the听United States听of violating rights and freedoms it vocally urges other countries, including听Russia, to protect.

Despite Putin and Lavrov's remarks,听Moscow听is clearly not in a hurry to dispatch Snowden听from its territory.听Ecuador, which has not in the past flinched from taking on Western powers, is similarly not rushing to banish the uncertainty plaguing U.S. authorities.

On Wednesday,听Robert Menendez, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that accepting Snowden听"would severely jeopardize" preferential trade access the听United States听provides to听Ecuador听under two programs currently up for renewal.

"Our government will not reward countries for bad behaviour," he said, while also calling on听Russia听to stop sheltering Snowden.

Ecuador听exported $5.4 billion of oil, $166 million of cut flowers, $122 million of fruit and vegetables and $80 million of tuna to the听United States听under one of the trade programmes.

While听Ecuador听could find other markets for its oil, ending the benefits could badly hurt the cut flower industry, which employs more than 100,000 workers, many of them women.

The logical route for Snowden听to take out of听Moscow听- and one for which he at one point had a reservation - would be an Aeroflot flight to听Havana听and a connecting flight to听Ecuador.

But听Ecuador's foreign minister indicated a decision on Snowden's asylum request could take two months.

"It took us two months to make a decision on Assange so do not expect us to make a decision sooner this time," Foreign Minister听Richard Patino听said in听Kuala Lumpur, referring to the founder of anti-secrecy group听Wikileaks,听Julian Assange.

He added that听Ecuador听would consider giving Snowden听protection before that if he went to听Ecuador's embassy听- but Russian officials say Snowden听does not have a visa to enter听Russia.

Ecuador's acting foreign minister, standing in for Patino in听Quito, was quoted by local media as saying on Wednesday that听Ecuador听had not given a temporary travel document to Snowden, contradicting Assange, who is holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London.

Assange told reporters on Monday that听Ecuador听had supplied Snowden听with a "refugee document of passage".

"That's not true. There is no passport, no document that has been given (to Snowden) by any听Ecuadorean consulate," the acting minister,听Galo Galarza, said in comments posted on the website of听Ecuador's Teleamazonas, a private television station.

Snowden, who worked as a systems administrator at a U.S.听National Security Agency facility听in听Hawaii, was the source of disclosures about听U.S. government听surveillance that included details about a program that collected emails, chat logs and other types of data from companies such as Google Inc, Facebook Inc, Microsoft Corp and Apple Inc .

He has divided opinion in the听United States, where many have been outraged by the extent of government snooping.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday showed that Americans were still more likely to view Snowden听as a "patriot" rather than a "traitor," but also that public support for him had fallen during the past week.

More than a quarter of respondents said Snowden听should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, up 3 percentage points from a week earlier. Just over one-third said he should not be prosecuted, down from a peak of more than 40 percent last week.