Snowden offers Berlin aid in spying scandal; wants safe passage

Fugitive US whistleblower Edward Snowden on Friday offered Berlin help in shedding light on the activities of US intelligence services in Germany, but demanded safe passage to avoid extradition to the United States, dpa reported . The offer was set out in a letter - released in Berlin by German opposition lawmaker Hans-Christian Stroebele - who conducted three hours of secret talks Thursday with Snowden in Moscow, where the former National Security Agency contractor has lived in temporary asylum since August. "Though the outcome of my efforts has been demonstrably positive, my government continues to treat dissent as defection, and seeks to criminalize political speech with felony charges that provide no defence," Snowden wrote in the letter, which was addressed To Whom It May Concern.