Iceland bill to grant citizenship to Snowden could be foiled by fisheries

Three political parties in Iceland have put forward a bill that would grant citizenship to National Security Agency (NSA) leaker Edward Snowden, but it could be delayed by fisheries legislation.

According the the Icelandic news service RUV, MPs representing Brighter Future, Piran (Pirate Party) and the Green Party backed the measure, which was first raised by former Minister of the Interior Ögmundur Jónasson.

The website 21st Century Wire reported that the bill could be delayed by fisheries legislation or could be blocked by the Conservative and Moderate parties' ruling coalition.

Under Icelandic law, an applicant must be present in the county to request citizenship. Snowden, however, has reportedly been stranded with a revoked U.S. passport in the transit area of Moscow’s International Airport since leaving Hong Kong on June 10.

Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, is about 2,210 nautical miles from Moscow and well within the operational flight distance of many private planes.