The president of the Brazilian Senate's Foreign Relations and Defense Committee says the country should grant political asylum to National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden.

An aide to Senator Ricardo Ferraco says Wednesday the senator wants to meet with Foreign Minister Luiz Alberto Figueiredo to "request that Snowden be given asylum." The aide did not give further details and declined to be identified because the person was not authorized to speak to the press.

On Tuesday, the newspaper published Snowden's "open letter to the people of Brazil" in which he wrote that he is willing to help Brazil investigate NSA spying on its soil but could only do so if granted political asylum.

Government officials have said Brazil had no plans to grant Snowden asylum.