Julian Assange’s defence team has welcomed news the WikiLeaks founder could be made to face Swedish prosecutors inside the Ecuadorian embassy.
Mr Assange, who has been granted political asylum by the Ecuador government, is wanted for questioning in Sweden over a sex allegation.
But the Australian national fears he will be extradited to the US to face questions about WikiLeaks if he returns to Sweden.
Now Ecuador has struck a deal with Sweden that is likely to see the 44-year-old questioned without leaving the embassy.
Mr Assange denies the allegation against him, which relates to an alleged incident in Sweden in 2010.
Baltasar Garzon, co-ordinator of Mr Assange’s international legal defence team, said: “We are glad that Ecuador and Sweden have reached an agreement for judicial cooperation.
“The most important thing now is that it must provide the appropriate legal guarantees.
“Julian Assange’s rights need to be respected by Sweden and the United Kingdom.
“These countries have failed to do so until now. Julian Assange’s only demands are that his fundamental rights are acknowledged and respected, including the asylum granted to him by Ecuador.
“Julian Assange has consistently demonstrated his willingness to cooperate during all this time.
“However, Julian Assange’s legal defence team has taken his case to the relevant international bodies to secure recognition that his humanitarian conditions and fundamental rights have been violated.
“Once again, we express our gratitude to Ecuador for continuing its efforts to safeguard the integrity of his legal and personal safety.”
Supporters of Mr Assange say he has been pressing to be interviewed for years.
His organisation leaks classified and restricted information from governments around the world to journalists.
Among its biggest hauls of data were a 2011 leak of hundreds of files relating to Guantanamo Bay.
Additional reporting by Press Association
