The UK must respect the Vienna Convention

Despite Tony Blair and George Bush both being out of office, the UK under David Cameron continues to be the ‘poodle’ of the US. And, if obedience training was an Olympic event, Britain would have another gold medal.

The UK is refusing to give WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange safe passage to Ecuador from its London embassy, after the country granted him diplomatic asylum. Assange is wanted in Sweden for questioning in regard to allegations of rape and sexual assault. He has been fighting to stay out of Sweden, as he fears the country will hand him over to US authorities, who want him for releasing secret diplomatic cables, among other documents.

The merits of the Swedish case against Assange aside, it is hard not to believe that Sweden and the UK are pandering to US interests in their pursuit of charges against him. Besides denying Assange safe passage, the UK has reportedly also threatened to revoke the diplomatic status of the embassy.

The UK must respect the accepted practices of the international diplomatic community, as enshrined in the Vienna Convention. It is no longer a bulldog that can growl and bite to get its way. The UK is a part of the international diplomatic community which is a home to many nations and its government must behave as if it is house-broken.