Britain has refused a request by Ecuador for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be given diplomatic status, a spokesman for Britain's Foreign Office said, Reuters reported.

"The government of Ecuador recently requested diplomatic status for Mr Assange here in the UK. The UK did not grant that request, nor are we in talks with Ecuador on this matter," the statement said.

“Ecuador knows that the way to resolve this issue is for Julian Assange to leave the embassy to face justice,” said a British Foreign Office spokesman. 

Assange moved to the embassy in London in 2012 as he tried to avoid extradition to Sweden over charges of rape and sexual assault.

Even though Swedish prosecutors have dropped their investigation into allegations against Assange, he fears he will be extradited to the United States if he leaves the building and that there is a sealed indictment ordering his arrest in connection with WikiLeaks’ 2010 disclosure of secret US military documents and diplomatic messages.