France rejects Snowden's asylum request: minister

PARIS, July 4 (Xinhua) -- France has refused to grant former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden's request for political asylum in Paris, the country's Interior Minister Manuel Valls said on Thursday.

"Like many other countries, France received, via its embassy in Moscow, an asylum apply from Mr. Edward Snowden. Given the legal analysis and the situation of the interested party, France will not agree," the minister said in a statement.

Based on reports provided by Snowden, a former American spy agency contractor, German magazine Der Spiegel on Saturday reported on its website that the U.S. National Security Agency had tapped EU offices and gained access to EU internal computer networks.

The 30-year-old man, who faces espionage charges in the U.S, was applying for political asylum to 21 countries, according to a WikiLeaks report.

After blowing the whistle in Hong Kong, Snowden fled to Moscow and has reportedly stayed since June 23 in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.

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