Italy rejects Snowden’s asylum claim

“The legal conditions do not exist” to accept Snowden’s claim, Bonino said.

Snowden “requested political asylum from 21 countries,” the foreign minister said, quoted in La Repubblica. “Two days ago a fax was received at the embassy in Moscow. It is normally expected that the application be presented at the border or on the soil” of a country, she added.

Snowden remains in a Moscow airport while he awaits a response on his numerous claims for political asylum. He has been charged with espionage by the US government after leaking secret documents.