WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has put off a "special announcement" from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London following agreement on a meeting with British officials to discuss his case.
The 45-year-old Australian was due to speak on Monday on the fifth anniversary of his arrival at the embassy where he sought asylum in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face rape allegations.
In a statement on Monday, WikiLeaks said the deferral had been decided on the advice of Assange's legal team following "the agreement of an imminent meeting with British authorities".
"Mr Assange's legal team remain optimistic that a satisfactory outcome can be found which respects the British legal process and restores Mr Assange's freedom and dignity," the statement said.
Swedish prosecutors last month announced they were dropping an investigation into a rape claim against Assange.
He remains in the embassy as he still faces arrest in the UK on a charge of skipping bail and fears extradition to the US over WikiLeaks' publication of top secret US military and diplomatic documents.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention last year said Assange was in effect being arbitrarily detained in violation of international law.
Asked by the Press Association on Monday how he has coped with the mental strain of the last five years, he replied: "I am lucky, intellectually, that I have a very demanding and exciting role, to find and reveal the most suppressed information in the world."
He said WikiLeaks had enjoyed a "huge" year, including releasing emails about Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and publishing an ongoing series about the activities of the CIA as well as documents and emails relating to activities in Germany and Turkey.
