German MP visits Assange
National Broadcasting Australia
Reporter: Michel Panayotov, international editor
So why did you choose to visit Julian Assange?
Dagdelen: People everywhere, me either, all adapt to Mr. Assange and courageous whistleblowers like the US Private Bradley Manning for making secret information available to the public and we are all grateful for that. I was very dismayed to hear that the british authorites were threatening to enter the ecuadorian embassy if necessary to arrest Mr. Assange and thats why I thought I would be glad to meet him and show up in London because I believe that those who commit and are responsible for war crimes should be trialed not those who expose them.
And how was Julian Assange when you met him?
Dagdelen: I was very happy that Mr. Assange is optimistic and he was in a good spirit despite facing such a difficult situation and difficult conditions he is living in the embassy.We agreed that the key to solve his current situation is the attitude of the british and the swedish government have to make the assurance that he will not be extradited to the US.
It was a very good meeting, we actually planned one hour for the meeting and it took way longer, we were more than one and a half hour talking and exchanging views about the situation with him but not only that, we were talking about Wikileaks and the future ofWikileaks and some other different things.
The british police say they will arrest him as soon as he steps foot out of the embassy so why was he optimistic as you say?
Dagdelen: He is optimistic in a way that they took so much pressure and pressure from the people.
Did Julian Assange talk about how long he expects to be hold up in the Ecuadorian embassy?
Dagdelen: He was not talking about how long he guessed he has to stay in the embassy. I mean, it’s very understandable, he told me when asking that, that he would be very happy to be out of the embassy as soon as possible. This is a problem, he can not do it if the British government or the Swedish government give him not the assurance not to extradite him to the US.
That extradition to Sweden as you know ist to face a questioning over alleged sex crimes. As a feminist MP has that given you caus for thought in your support for him?
Dagdelen: No, I mean these allegations are very, very serious and they have to be clarified and I hope that they will be clarified. I´m not a judge, I do not want to judge about people, not even about Assange. The allegations by the two Swedish women are very serious and I hope they will be clarified. The problem is that I can see his point that he is afraid that when he goes to Sweden that Sweden will extradite him to the US.
You are a member of the foreing affairs commitee of the German Bundestag, what will be your message to them? Are you trying to find a diplomatic solution through the German parliament?
Dagdelen: Yes, my next steps in this case will be having meetings with the British and Swedish Diplomats in Berlin, with the ambassadors in Berlin in the next day in order to discuss a solution to this crisis. I would like to know their point of view and I will ask the Swedish government why they are refusing to give an assurance that Mr. Assange will not be extradited to the US and why they refuse to question Mr. Assange in the UK.
