Snowden seeks asylum in 21 countries

Edward Snowden [File photo]

WikiLeaks has applied asylum in another 19 countries for the U.S. National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, WikiLeaks said in a statement on its website on Tuesday.

"The documents outline the risks of persecution Mr. Snowden faces in the United States and have started to be delivered by the Russian consulate to the relevant embassies in Moscow," said the statement.

The countries include Russia, India, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela and China.

Previously, Snowden has sent asylum request to Iceland and Ecuador. Iceland said it is considering his asylum request. Eduador's President Rafael Correa on Sunday said his country could not consider Snowden's asylum request because he wasn't on Ecuadorian territory.

Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that Snowden has asked for political asylum in Russia .

"British citizen Sarah Harrison who acted on behalf of the U.S. citizen Edward Snowden arrived at the consular office of the Foreign Ministry in the Sheremetyevo airport," the Interfax news agency quoted consular officer Kim Shevchenko as saying. "She has handed over to the Russian diplomats Snowden's request about granting him political asylum in Russia".

According to Shevchenko, he passed Snowden's note to a Foreign Ministry's messenger.

The fate of Snowden, the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor, became a hot political issue in Russia following his unexpected arrival and self-confinement in Moscow airport's transit zone seven days ago.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference on Monday that Russia will not hand Snowden over to the U.S..

But he said if Snowden wants to stay in Russia, he "must stop his work aimed at harming our American partners".

He rejected the allegation that Snowden is "a Russian agent", stressing that Russian intelligence services were not working with the former spy contractor.

Putin also suggested that Snowden should choose his final destination and go there. Russia's RIA news agency says Putin and Obama have told their security services to resolve the standoff over Snowden.

The Sheremetyevo transit area is technically not under the Russia's jurisdiction, but Snowden's reported presence at a Moscow airport mounts tension between Russia and the U.S. since his arrival there last week.