posted by Bina | Monday, July 16, 2007
Britain and Russia are on Monday braced for a major diplomatic stand-off, as London formally responds to Moscow’s refusal to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, wanted by UK authorities for the murder of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko.
Amid intense speculation that Britain will expel Russian diplomats from London for the first time in more than a decade, David Miliband, the UK foreign secretary, is preparing to outline the action to be taken in a statement to parliament this afternoon.
Officials have been tight-lipped about how Mr Miliband will approach what – barring a last-minute change of plan – will be the first big foreign policy test for Gordon Brown’s government. But one well-placed ministerial source said the British response would be “heavy”.
The foreign secretary on Sunday underlined that, while economic relations between the UK and Russia have “never been stronger”, the Litvinenko murder was “a very serious crime” and that the judicial process “must be seen through.” He also markedly refused to rule out the possibility of expulsions.
If Britain expels Russian diplomats, it will be the first time London has taken such action since 1996. The danger for the UK is that expulsions may trigger a “tit-for-tat” response by Moscow, as has often happened insimilar disputes.
Mr Brown is understood to have been kept fully involved in developments over the Litvinenko case. His government is determined to defend the integrity of the UK judicial system but it wants to avoid any negative impact on trade relations between the two countries.
Senior figures in Moscow have strongly indicated that the expulsion of diplomats would have serious consequences. Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of Russia’s lower house of parliament, recently said the expulsion of diplomats “would denote a failure in British policy towards Russia for many years, for which the responsibility would lie wholly on the British side”.
The stand-off between London and Moscow comes at a particularly bad moment in relations between Russia and the west. Over the weekend, President Vladimir Putin suspended the application of a key cold war arms control treaty.
Russia said it would suspend participation in the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe treaty – which puts ceilings on equipment such as tanks and combat aircraft in Europe – in five monthsunless other countries ratified an adapted version of the treaty signed in 1999.
The White House said it was “disappointed” by Russia’s decision – a move that follows months of rising tensions over US plans to build part of its proposed missile defence system in central Europe.
Mr Litvinenko, a former Russian security agent and fierce critic of Mr Putin, died in a London hospital in November from a fatal dose of the rare radioactive isotope polonium 210. UK prosecutors said in May they would seek extradition of Mr Lugovoi to face trial for the murder.
Western officials in Moscow are bracing themselves for further pressure on the British Council. The UK cultural body has already faced tax probes and delays to opening of a new St Petersburg building. It was forced to close a language centre after suddenly being told it needed a teaching licence.
Source : www.ft.com
Amid intense speculation that Britain will expel Russian diplomats from London for the first time in more than a decade, David Miliband, the UK foreign secretary, is preparing to outline the action to be taken in a statement to parliament this afternoon.
Officials have been tight-lipped about how Mr Miliband will approach what – barring a last-minute change of plan – will be the first big foreign policy test for Gordon Brown’s government. But one well-placed ministerial source said the British response would be “heavy”.
The foreign secretary on Sunday underlined that, while economic relations between the UK and Russia have “never been stronger”, the Litvinenko murder was “a very serious crime” and that the judicial process “must be seen through.” He also markedly refused to rule out the possibility of expulsions.
If Britain expels Russian diplomats, it will be the first time London has taken such action since 1996. The danger for the UK is that expulsions may trigger a “tit-for-tat” response by Moscow, as has often happened insimilar disputes.
Mr Brown is understood to have been kept fully involved in developments over the Litvinenko case. His government is determined to defend the integrity of the UK judicial system but it wants to avoid any negative impact on trade relations between the two countries.
Senior figures in Moscow have strongly indicated that the expulsion of diplomats would have serious consequences. Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of Russia’s lower house of parliament, recently said the expulsion of diplomats “would denote a failure in British policy towards Russia for many years, for which the responsibility would lie wholly on the British side”.
The stand-off between London and Moscow comes at a particularly bad moment in relations between Russia and the west. Over the weekend, President Vladimir Putin suspended the application of a key cold war arms control treaty.
Russia said it would suspend participation in the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe treaty – which puts ceilings on equipment such as tanks and combat aircraft in Europe – in five monthsunless other countries ratified an adapted version of the treaty signed in 1999.
The White House said it was “disappointed” by Russia’s decision – a move that follows months of rising tensions over US plans to build part of its proposed missile defence system in central Europe.
Mr Litvinenko, a former Russian security agent and fierce critic of Mr Putin, died in a London hospital in November from a fatal dose of the rare radioactive isotope polonium 210. UK prosecutors said in May they would seek extradition of Mr Lugovoi to face trial for the murder.
Western officials in Moscow are bracing themselves for further pressure on the British Council. The UK cultural body has already faced tax probes and delays to opening of a new St Petersburg building. It was forced to close a language centre after suddenly being told it needed a teaching licence.
Source : www.ft.com
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