俄稱斯諾登可助德調查美國竊聽默克爾
Intelligence leaker Edward Snowden is free to speak with whoever he chooses, including foreign authorities, a Kremlin spokesman said on Saturday, after the US fugitive said he was ready to help a German probe into US spying.
"He has temporary refugee status. That status does not foresee any restrictions on his moving around the country or speaking to anyone," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told AFP.
The former National Security Agency contractor spent more than a month in the transit zone of a Moscow airport before receiving temporary asylum in Russia in August to the fury of the United States where he faces trial on charges under the Espionage Act.
Putin has said Snowden was welcome to stay in Russia as long as he did not harm US interests.
Peskov said on Saturday that condition remained in place. "No one will allow him to use the territory of Russia to harm US interests."
But the spokesman also said that Snowden was free to speak to German prosecutors over their probe into claims that Washington spied on Chancellor Angela Merkel, or even travel to Germany.
"No one is keeping him here. He is not being held captive here," said Peskov. "He is free to pack up and fly anywhere he wants."
But he warned that if Snowden wanted to return to Moscow, he would have to re-apply for asylum.
"He can leave only once," said Peskov.
On Thursday, Snowden met in Moscow with German Green party lawmaker Hans-Christian Stroebele to discuss his evidence that Washington for years monitored German Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone.
Stroebele told reporters in Berlin on Friday that Snowden was willing to speak to the German authorities.據法國媒體11月2日報道，俄羅斯總統新聞發言人德米特里·佩斯科夫11月2日稱，美國監控計劃曝光者愛德華·斯諾登可自由選擇與任何人接觸，包括外國政府。此前，斯諾登曾表示準備協助德國調查美國“竊聽門”一事。
佩斯科夫告訴法新社：“斯諾登擁有臨時避難身份，他在本國的言行不受任何約束。”
不顧美國的強烈反對，俄羅斯8月准許斯諾登在俄羅斯避難。美國對此惱怒不堪。
普京對俄羅斯收留斯諾登開出了條件，即他停止損害美國利益。佩斯科夫11月2日表示，這一條件依然不變。他說：“沒有人會允許他（斯諾登）在俄羅斯境內損害美國利益。”不過他也表示，斯諾登可與德國檢察官就華盛頓竊聽德國總理安吉拉·默克爾一事自由交談，甚至可親往德國。
佩斯科夫說：“沒人要把他留在這裏。他在這兒不是被軟禁，他可以收拾行裝飛往他想去的任何地方。”但他警告稱，如果斯諾登想重返莫斯科，將必須再次提出避難申請。“他只能離開一次。”
10月31日，斯諾登在莫斯科會見了德國綠黨議員漢斯·克里斯蒂安·斯特勒貝勒，討論其所掌握的華盛頓多年竊聽默克爾手機的證據。斯特勒貝勒1月1日在柏林告訴記者說，斯諾登願意就此協助德國政府調查。
