
Ecuadorian officials vehemently rejected the suggestion that the country was weighing up its national interests in making the decision of whether or not to grant asylum to Snowden.
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Thursday that the US would make an effort to remove preferential trade treatment for Ecuadorian imports if the country offered refuge to Snowden, while Ecuadorian officials said they would waive preferential trading rights under an expiring treaty with the US.