In just a few hours, embattled Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is expected to make his first public appearance here at Ecuador's London Embassy since being granted political asylum last week.<br/> <br />His quest to avoid being extradited to Sweden, where he is wanted on charges of rape and sexual assault, has set off a heated international row between Britain and Ecuador.<br/> <br />On Sunday, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa met with the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America.<br/> <br />He told members that Britain's threat to void Ecuador's diplomatic immunity and raid its London embassy set a dangerous precedent from colonial times and could not be allowed.<br/> <br />Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also joined the rhetorical fray.<br/> <br />At a re-election campaign event, he told supporters Britain would encroach on Ecuador's sovereignty, should it go through with its threat to extradite Assage at any cost.<br/> <br />The Wikileaks head says the charges are politically motivated.<br/> <br />He believes Sweden will eventually send him to the U.S., where authorities are likely to prosecute him for publishing top secret military and diplomatic documents on the internet.
