QUITO -- Ecuador's foreign minister says the country is seeking possible mediation to resolve the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been in asylum at its London embassy for more than five years.

Maria Fernanda Espinosa said at a news conference on Tuesday that notable asylum cases in recent years have sometimes required mediation by a third country.

Ecuador's Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa talks during a meeting with foreign reporters, in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018. AP

Assange has been at the embassy since June 2012 to avoid a Swedish extradition request on a case of alleged rape. While Sweden has at least temporarily dropped that investigation, British officials say they'd still arrest him on charges of bail jumping. Assange also fears a possible U.S. extradition request stemming from the leaking of classified U.S. documents.

Espinosa says her country is seeking solutions, saying the situation "is not sustainable."