Snowden's future hangs in the balance

Possible destination

Huang said Iceland could be a possible destination for Snowden, although he is not within Icelandic territory at the moment.

"Once Iceland agrees on the asylum claim, Snowden could start thinking about concrete ways to get in the country," Huang said, adding that Snowden would not disclose the details.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said on the same day that Snowden's representatives had contacted him to discuss his possible bid for asylum in Iceland.

In a conference call with reporters, Assange said Snowden's legal team has been, and are involved, in the process of brokering his asylum bid.

Assange was another whistle-blower who upset Washington with a massive intelligence leak. Starting from 2010, he began publishing US military and diplomatic documents on WikiLeaks with assistance from its partners in media.

Cornered in the Ecuadoran embassy in London, Assange is fighting extradition to Sweden, where he faces a sexual assault charge, which he said might result in his subsequent extradition to the US.