Ecuador not to recognize Snowden's world citizen passport

Ecuador would not recognize the "World Citizen Passport" issued to U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden by a non-profit group if he attempted to enter the South American country, a senior official said Thursday. "We do not recognize this passport, global or universal, as valid to enter the country," Deputy Foreign Minister Marco Albuja said in an interview with a local radio station. The official said the passport did not have all the necessary personal data of its owner. The World Service Authority (WSA), a Washington-based group advocating a "world government," earlier this week issued a so-called "Passport of the Citizen of the World" to Snowden, after his original U.S. passport was revoked by the U.S. authorities. Only a few nations reportedly accepted WSA passports in the past, and Ecuador was one of them. Snowden, a former U.S. National Security Agency contractor, is wanted by the U.S. government for leaking details of U.S. surveillance programs. He has sought asylum in more than 20 nations and is currently stranded in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. Many countries have rejected his requests while some said he must submit an application on their soil. On Friday, Snowden met with a group of Russian activists and officials at the Moscow airport and was quoted as saying that he wants to apply for asylum in Russia and has accepted the condition that he must stop damaging U.S. interests.