Ecuadoran FM visits WikiLeaks founder Assange in London

Ecuador's Foreign Affairs Minister Guillaume Long on Sunday met with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been trapped at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London for four years.

The anti-secrecy activist has been a virtual prisoner at the embassy since he took refuge there on June 19, 2012 as part of his bid to gain political asylum.

While Ecuador granted Assange asylum, Britain has refused to give him safe passage out of the country, threatening to arrest him if he sets foot outside the embassy grounds.

Four years into the diplomatic standoff, Ecuador continues to believe that Assange is the victim of political persecution and merits asylum, Long said in an interview broadcast by the state news agency Andes.

"That was the reason we gave Assange political asylum and evidently that concern is still valid," Long said.

"There has been little progress in the case," said Long, adding the last major breakthrough was in February of this year, when the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) ruled in Assange's favor.

The anti-secrecy activist is wanted for questioning by Swedish authorities in relation to sexual assault allegations, which he denies.

The 44-year-old whistleblower applied for asylum after losing his appeal in the British courts against being extradited to Sweden.

Assange has said he fears Swedish authorities will turn him in to the United States, where he is wanted for espionage and other crimes against the state.

The U.S. case against him was launched after WikiLeaks released "Collateral Murder," damning video footage of a U.S. military strike against civilians, including journalists, in Iraq, as well as thousands of incriminating or embarrassing confidential State Department cables.

Britain has spend about 13 million pounds (18.8 million U.S. dollars) on security around the embassy to prevent Assange's escape, according to Andes. Enditem