Assange willing to travel to US

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has said he is willing to travel to the US where he fears prosecution on espionage charges, following the early release of whistle-blower Chelsea Manning's by outgoing US President Barack Obama.
Speaking from inside his Ecuadorean embassy hideout in London yesterday, the 45-year-old Australian national indicated that the issue would be up for discussion between now and May, when Manning is to be released.
"I have always been willing to go to the US provided my rights are respected," he said.
Assange has been hiding out in the embassy for more than four years after he was granted political asylum by Ecuador amid fears he will be extradited to the US and questioned over the activities of his controversial website if sent to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault.

After years of stalemate, representatives from the Swedish prosecutor's office and Swedish police officers had last November agreed to be present whileAssangeis questioned by an Ecuadorian official based on a previously approved set of questions regarding the sexual assault claims.
Last week Wikileaks had tweeted: "If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition."

Obama had used his final days in office to announce that the former intelligence analyst would be freed early from her 30-year term for handing classified documents to WikiLeaks.
Assange is not officially wanted by US authorities but he claimshis name was on several warrants and subpoenas.

"If it takes me going to United States to somehow flush out this case and get the DoJ (Department of Justice) to either make a charge or extradition or to drop it, then we are interested in looking at that as well," Assange said in a web broadcast from his hideout.