(CNN) If the British government guarantees that Julian Assange will not be extradited to a third country where he could face the death penalty, Assange should hand himself in to the authorities, Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno said.

"If the British government guarantees his life, I think it's in his best interest to hand himself over to the authorities," Moreno said.

Ecuador said that the UK has given such a guarantee, but Moreno said he needs clarification on the British position.

The British Foreign Office referred a CNN question about such possible guarantees to the Home Office, but the latter said it will not release a statement on the issue Thursday.

He has maintained his innocence and said the charges were nothing more than an attempt to extradite him to the United States. Assange, 47, the founder of WikiLeaks , has been living in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012 while wanted for questioning over sexual assault allegations in Sweden.He has maintained his innocence and said the charges were nothing more than an attempt to extradite him to the United States.

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