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Assange lauds surveillance reversal

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has called US President Barack Obama's announcement of plans to limit sweeping US government surveillance programs a victory of sorts for fugitive former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden.

"Today, the president of the United States validated Edward Snowden's role as a whistle blower by announcing plans to reform America's global surveillance program," Assange said in a statement referring to Obama's announcement on Friday.

"Today was a victory of sorts for Edward Snowden and his many supporters," Assange said in the statement, which was posted on the WikiLeaks website on Saturday.

"As Snowden has stated, his biggest concern was if he blew the whistle and change did not occur. Well reforms are taking shape, and for that, the president and people of the US and around the world owe Edward Snowden a debt of gratitude."

Assange, who has been holed up at the Ecuadorean embassy in London for more than a year, fearing extradition to the US for publishing classified US documents, rejected Obama's assertion that his reforms were planned before Snowden's disclosures about US surveillance activities.

"The simple fact is that without Snowden's disclosures, no one would know about the programs and no reforms could take place," he said.

Assange accused the US government of "stunning" hypocrisy in its treatment of Snowden while it gave asylum to thousands of dissidents, whistle-blowers and political refugees from countries such as Russia.