News & Politics - Britain expels 4 Russian diplomats over Litvinenko murder issue

elisheva · 07-16-2007, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Britain throws out Russian diplomats in murder row
Mon Jul 16, 2007

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Monday it was expelling four Russian diplomats over Moscow's refusal to extradite the main suspect in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.

"This is a situation the government has not sought and does not welcome. But we have no choice but to address it," British foreign minister David Miliband said in a speech to parliament.

"We have chosen to expel four diplomats, four particular diplomats, in order to send a clear and proportionate signal to the Russian government about the seriousness of this case," he said.

Litvinenko, a former employee of Russia's Federal Security Service, fled to Britain and became a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin. He died an agonizing death in London after ingesting a lethal dose of the radioactive isotope polonium 210.

Relations between London and Moscow have deteriorated sharply since Litvinenko's death.

Moscow has since refused to extradite Andrei Lugovoy, a former state security agent. British prosecutors want to bring him before a British court and charge him with the murder of Litvinenko.

Moscow has dismissed as ridiculous the former KGB agent's deathbed accusation that Putin ordered his killing.

"It's a dramatic move to make, but it's not a total surprise. They've gone through all the normal judicial process and now they have to put on some other pressure," said Alex Bigham of the Foreign Policy Centre, a think tank.

Besides throwing out four diplomats, Miliband said Britain would review the extent of its cooperation with Russia on a number of issues, including changing the way Russian government officials get visas.

He said Britain had also suspended attempts to speed up the visa process for Russian citizens and said that if Lugovoy left Russia, international agreements meant he could be extradited.

Britain has rejected a Russian offer to put Lugovoy on trial at home, saying it doubts Moscow's promises of a fair trial.

Miliband stressed that a good relationship between London and Moscow was key because of international action on climate change, terrorism, Iran, Kosovo, the Middle East peace process, Sudan and nuclear proliferation.

"The government believes Russia is a key international partner for the UK," Miliband said. "For all these reasons we need a relationship based on trust and mutual respect.

© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.

It'll be interesting to see what happens between Britain and Russia with this

**sunnykerr** · 07-16-2007, 01:13 PM

Well, I can't say I'm suprised or even that I disapprove. The Russian government has been completely uncooperative during this whole investigation and there comes a time when you have to play hardball.

Lexis · 07-18-2007, 11:12 AM

Good for us. I know the Russians are saying we're operating a double standard (not sending back dissidents they want while demanding they extradite this guy) but I think the scale of this incident means we have to do this.

I mean think about the people that could have gotten contaminated. It sends completely the wrong message if we just let things like this slide.

**sunnykerr** · 07-19-2007, 12:13 PM

Now, I don't know very much about Russian politics—or English politics come to that—but any country who calls for the forceful return of dissidents... yeah, that's not something I'd comply with myself.

elisheva · 07-19-2007, 03:30 PM

Russia's pretty frightening, really.

Lexis · 07-20-2007, 11:24 AM

I don't know a huge lot about Russian politics but the corruption I did read about chilled me to the bone. If you get a chance, you should check out the writing of Anna Politkovskaya, an incredible journalist who was murdered last year. She exposed corruption, human rights abuses, rescued elderly people from an old people's home in Grozny - she was incredible and clearly put being a human being and trying to help others as her priority.

But yeah, Alexander Litvinenko died a horrible, horrible death in our capital city - something has to be done.


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