* Friend says activist has passport, will fly to United States
* Dramatic escape, stay in U.S. embassy cause diplomatic rift
* Relatives remain in northeastern Chinese village (Adds details on Chen receiving passport)
By Sui-Lee Wee and Chris Buckley
BEIJING, May 19 (Reuters) - Blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng obtained a passport at Beijing airport on Saturday after his release from hospital and will soon board a flight to the United States, a friend said, a move that would signal the end of a diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
Chen told Jiang Tianyong, a prominent rights lawyer, by telephone that he and his family had been given their passports and were waiting to board their flight.
"I just spoke to him and he said he was about to board the flight very soon," Jiang said.
Jiang said Chen was headed to New York, where the blind activist has been offered a fellowship from New York University.
Chen had earlier said he believed he would be headed on a flight to the United States, but added he was still uncertain of it. The U.S. embassy was not immediately available for comment.
Chen had spent the last three weeks in hospital after taking refuge in the U.S. embassy. His escape from house arrest in northeastern China last month and stay in the embassy caused huge embarrassment for China, and led to a diplomatic rift while U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was visiting Beijing.
Chen had earlier told Reuters by telephone: "I'm at the airport now. I've already left the hospital. But there are many things that are still unclear."
Chen said that his wife and two children were at the airport with him, accompanied by staff from Beijing's Chaoyang hospital. He said the family was anticipating a departure for the United States, but was waiting for news on what was to happen next.
Two police cars were stationed below the walkway to the plane Chen was expected to board, and about 10 security officials in plainclothes circulated around the airport.
Several photographers were in position at the waiting area, but passengers at the gate to Chen's flight appeared not to know that he would be on the same flight.
DRAMATIC ESCAPE
The development came about three weeks after Chen arrived at the hospital from the U.S. embassy, where he had taken refuge after a dramatic escape from 19 months under house arrest in his home village.
Chen's confinement, his escape and the furore that ensued have made him part of China's dissident folklore: a blind prisoner outfoxing Communist Party controls in an echo of the man who stood down an army tank near Tiananmen Square in 1989.
In 2006, Chen was sentenced to more than four years in jail on charges - vehemently denied by his wife and lawyers - that he whipped up a crowd that disrupted traffic and damaged property.
Chen had led campaigns for farmers and disabled citizens and exposed forced abortions.
He was formally released in 2010 but remained under house arrest in his home village in northeastern Shandong province, which officials turned into a fortress of walls, security cameras and guards in plain clothes who kept Chen isolated.
The village of Dongshigu, where Chen's mother and other relatives remain, is still under lockdown.
The U.S. embassy had earlier thought it had stuck a deal to allow Chen to stay in China without retribution, but that fell apart as Chen grew worried about his family's safety. He changed his mind about staying in China and asked to travel to the United States.
Human rights are a major factor in relations between China and the United States, even though Washington needs China's help on issues such as Iran, North Korea, Sudan and the fragile global economy.
Chen Guangcheng's nephew, Chen Kegui, was denied his family's choice of lawyers on Friday to defend a charge of "intentional homicide", the latest in a series of moves to deny him legal representation, and underscores the hardline stance taken against Chen Guangcheng's family.
Earlier on Saturday, Chen said the authorities' drive to "manipulate" his nephew's case would not succeed. (Additional reporting by Max Duncan and Michael Martina; Editing by Ron Popeski)
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