The German government does not yet see the prerequisites for granting asylum to ex-CIA employee Edward Snowden, who last week agreed to meet with German specialists as part of an investigation into the activities of American intelligence services in Germany, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said at a briefing on November 4. The question of the possibility of granting Mr. Snowden asylum in Germany was again raised after his meeting with Bundestag deputy Hans-Christian Ströbele, which took place on October 31 in Moscow. The former intelligence officer expressed his readiness to come to Germany and meet with investigators from the Prosecutor General's Office or members of the parliamentary commission if he is guaranteed a safe stay in the country. Now Edward Snowden faces detention in Germany following a US request for his extradition, which the US authorities sent to Berlin several months ago. “There are no prerequisites for granting asylum,” RIA Novosti quotes Mr. Seibert. He noted that the German authorities were checking the possibility of granting Snowden asylum back in the summer. Then in Berlin they stated that this issue could be considered only after he arrived in Germany and submitted a corresponding petition there.

At the same time, answering a question about the possibility of providing asylum to a whistleblower of American intelligence services, Seibert added that “it is always about our security interests and our allied interests.” “The significance of the transatlantic alliance for us Germans remains enormous. There is hardly a country that would benefit as much from this partnership, from this friendship, as Germany. This makes a huge difference. We act in the spirit of this union. We have done this in the past, and the Federal Chancellor will be guided by this in all decisions in the future,” emphasized the official representative of the German government.

The German government does not express its readiness to provide asylum to Snowden