China claims the U.S. prevented Snowden's extradition by spelling his middle name wrong on papers as Ecuador says it could take MONTHS to decide whether to grant him asylum Edward Snowden remains in transit area of Moscow airport after leaving Hong Kong on Sunday Hong Kong officials have claimed their hands were tied over Edward Snowden because the U.S. government used a wrong middle name for the NSA whistleblower on extradition papers. Provisional arrest warrant documents listed his middle name as James, whereas it is Joseph. In other papers, he was just called Edward J. Snowden, Hong Kong's Secretary of Justice Rimsky Yuen said. When Hong Kong asked the U.S. for clarification on Friday, they failed to respond in time for officials to stop Snowden's flight to Russia on Sunday. Mix up: Hong Kong officials have said they were unable to help the U.S. with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden as extradition papers listed his middle name as 'James' rather than 'Joseph' 'Until the minute of Snowden's departure, the U.S. government hadn't yet replied to our requests for clarification,' Yuen told the Wall Street Journal. 'Hong Kong's government had no legal basis to block his departure.' The embarrassment for the U.S. comes as Ecuador revealed it could take months to decide whether to grant asylum to Snowden. He is currently in a transit area of a Moscow airport but it is believed he is hopeful Ecuador will protect him. Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino compared Snowden's case to that of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, who has been given asylum in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London. 'It took us two months to make a decision in the case of Assange, so do not expect us to make a decision sooner this time,' Patino told reporters. Hideout: He is in the transit area of Sheremetievo airport in Moscow after flying from Hong Kong on Sunday No sign of Snowden: Passengers wait in the transit area of the airport where Snowden has been for days Hordes of journalists have camped in and around the airport, looking for Snowden or anyone who may have seen. But after talking to passengers, airport personnel, waiters and shop clerks, the press corps has discovered no trace of the elusive leaker, AP reported. Russian news agencies, citing unidentified sources, reported that Snowden was staying at a hotel in the transit terminal, but he was nowhere to be seen at the zone's only hotel, called 'Air Express'. The area where Snowden is purportedly staying serves both connecting passengers traveling via Moscow to onward destinations and passengers departing from Moscow who have passed border and security checks. The departure and transit area has dozens of small rooms, some labeled 'authorized personnel only,' where one could potentially seek refuge with support from airport staff or security personnel. There are also a few VIP lounge areas, accessible to business-class passengers or people willing to pay some $20 per hour. Snowden was not seen in those areas. Exiting the area would either require boarding a plane or passing through border control. Both require a valid passport or other identification; the U.S. has revoked Snowden's passport. Snowden, who is charged with violating American espionage laws, fled Hong Kong on Sunday and flew to Russia. Russia only acknowledged his arrival only on Tuesday, when President Vladimir Putin said Snowden was still in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that he remained there on Wednesday. Snowden had also booked a seat on a Havana-bound flight on Monday en route to Venezuela and then possible asylum in Ecuador, but he failed to board the plane. Despite U.S. officials called for Snowden to be extradited immediately, but Russia said it would not as they have no extradition treaty with the country and Snowden has not committed a crime in Russia. 'He hasn't violated any of our laws, he hasn't crossed our border, he is in the transit zone of the airport and has the right to fly in any direction he wants,' Lavrov said. Asked if Ecuador would provide protection to Snowden while considering his request for asylum, Patino said through a translator that if Snowden 'goes to the embassy, then we will make a decision.' Patino refused to say what criteria his government would use, but added that it would 'consider all these risks', including whether it could hurt trade with the U.S. and damage Ecuador's economy. WikiLeaks gave a terse update on Snowden's condition earlier on Wednesday, saying in a statement posted to Twitter that Snowden was 'well'. Hurdles: Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said it could take months to secure asylum for Snowden WikiLeaks says that one of its staffers, Sarah Harrison, was traveling with Snowden, but the statement gave no indication if the update came from her, from Snowden, or from some other source. In a conference with reporters on Monday, Assange said that he was limited in what he could say about Snowden due to security concerns. He denied reports that Snowden was spending his time at the airport being debriefed by Russian intelligence officers.