William Hague to discuss Julian Assange's future

Ecuador's foreign minister is to hold talks with the UK Government today to try to resolve the deadlock over the fate of the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, it was disclosed last night.

Mr Assange has been in Ecuador's London Embassy since June trying to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning on allegations of sex offences.

He fears being sent to the United States if he travels to Sweden, to face interrogation over the whistle-blowing website. He has been granted political asylum by Ecuador but faces arrest if he leaves the embassy after breaking bail conditions.

An embassy official said Ecuador's foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, planned to meet his British counterpart, William Hague, at the United Nations in New York today.

"We hope [the] meeting will mark the beginning of a new chapter in seeking a solution to the present situation… We are more than willing to find an amicable answer that respects the values of international human rights and the integrity of sovereign nations," he said.

Tomorrow marks the 100th day since Mr Assange walked into the London embassy. He is due to make a statement to the UN via a satellite link from the embassy after a speech by Mr Patino.

Wikileaks confirmed today's meeting with a posting on its official Twitter feed. A Foreign Office spokesman also confirmed that the meeting was scheduled to take place today.