WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been told to keep out of Catalonia's separatist crisis.

Mr Assange, who has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012, has angered Spain's government by using his Twitter account to post messages of support for Catalan independence and accuse Madrid of "repression".

Spanish foreign minister Alfonso Dastis has said there were signs that Mr Assange was attempting to "interfere and manipulate", following him meeting with a prominent Catalan pro-independence figure.

Now Ecuador's President has stepped into the row.

Lenin Moreno told the Spanish newspaper El Pais: "We do not want to intervene under any circumstances with respect to Catalonia. We hope the problem is resolved as soon as possible for the benefit of all Spaniards.