Page 9 - Transit Zone News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Say his client has not ruled out asking for russian citizenship. but this seemed to come as a surprise to the government there. a spokesperson for president vladimir putin said citizenship, this is the first i have heard of it. it's news to me. nearly a month has passed since the government surveillance leaker flew to moscow. the airport there where he has apparently stayed put in the transit zone. snowden's attorney says he has requested temporary asylum in russia. that happened earlier this week. people unhappy with san diego mayor bob filner are gathering outside city hall at this hour. to ...

That could change at any time. phil black is in moscow. so, phil, how soon could he get out of that airport and am to russia? >>. >> very soon, carol. within days, we believe. according to the russian lawyer that has been helping him negotiate his options coming to understand asylum law in this country. so, he's put in an application and that could take weeks or months to get back a formal decision on that. we're told in the short term he should be eligible for some official paperwork, which will finally allow him to leave that airport and transit zone and cross the immigration line and actual...

Months whether or not he is going to succeed here. and the decision when he applies for temporary asylum is only made by the federal migration service. one government department, no other government departments are involved. in fact, we are told even the president himself has no official role in the decision making process when someone applies for temporary asylum. that would be different if he was applying for permanent asylum. the decision formally would rest with the russian president. and there is one point here that has the potential to change his quality of life both quickly and very dra...

Will even be granted. the final decision rests with vladimir putin, and the russian president has made it clear snowden's visit is an unwelcome one, though he also accuses the u.s. of intimidating other countries in not accepting snowden. we have more on snowden's request. >> reporter: hi, tamron. edward snowden is still holed up in that transit zone of the moscow airport, but there could be movement in the days ahead. here's why. the official russian bureau that actually deals with asylum requests confirmed today that they received snowden's application. that kicks in the initial phase of the...

For asylum in russia. he first hinted this would happen on friday when he showed his face in public for the first time in many weeks. speaking at the transit zone of the moscow airport, he says he hopes to eventually seek refuge in latin america but before he can get there, he says i'll sigh in rare. the russian president has suggested he wants nothing to do with ed snowden and called the fugitive's arrival an unwelcome president from the united states, adding, merry christmas. a government spokesman said it's not up to putin at all. the white house pushed russia to get a move on and send ed s...