The President of Ecuador is further distancing himself and his country from Edward Snowden, the American National Security Agency leaker who is apparently trapped in the transit area of the Moscow Airport.

President Rafael Correa on Sunday said his Counsel in London committed “a serious error” in issuing a letter of safe passage that Snowden used to get from Hong Kong to Moscow, without consulting any officials in Ecuador's capital.  Correa also said the official would be punished.

Correa said “the case is not in Ecuador's hands” and put it back on Russia’s lap, saying, “This is the decision of Russian authorities. He doesn't have a passport. I don't know the Russian laws, I don't know if he can leave the airport, but I understand that he can't.”

The Russians have claimed that Snowden is free to go whenever he wants because he hasn’t crossed the immigration checkpoint and isn’t legally in Russia.

Correa reiterated he would consider Snowden’s application for asylum only if Snowden makes it to an Ecuadorian Embassy or Ecuador itself.

The US wants to arrest Snowden for leaking NSA secrets regarding American surveillance on the Internet, mobile phones, and even friendly nations.