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Britain expels 4 Russian diplomats

Russia has refused to extradite a man suspected in the poisoning of an ex-KGB spy.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published July 17, 2007

LONDON - Prime Minister Gordon Brown's new government ordered the expulsion of four Russian diplomats Monday over the Kremlin's refusal to extradite the key suspect in the fatal poisoning of a former KGB spy - Britain's first use of the sanction in more than 10 years.

Russia quickly threatened retaliation, marking a new low point in Britain's relations with Moscow under President Vladimir Putin.

Alexander Litvinenko died Nov. 23 in a London hospital after ingesting radioactive polonium-210. In a deathbed statement, he accused Putin of being behind his killing.

British prosecutors have named former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi as the chief suspect. Litvinenko, 43, said he first felt ill after meeting Lugovoi and business partner Dmitry Kovtun at a London hotel.

But Russia has refused to extradite Lugovoi, saying its constitution prevents that.

Brown, speaking in Berlin, said, "I have no apologies for the action that we have taken, but I do want a resolution of this issue as soon as possible."

Foreign Secretary David Miliband told lawmakers in the House of Commons that "the Russian government has failed to register either how seriously we treat this case or the seriousness of the issues involved."

In response, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said, "They should understand well in London that the provocative actions conceived by British authorities ... cannot fail to produce the most serious consequences" for bilateral relations.

Lugovoi said Monday the British decision "once again confirms that the Litvinenko affair had a political subtext from the very beginning," the Interfax news agency reported.

Russia formally rejected an extradition request a week ago, and British prosecutors then spurned an offer from Moscow to try Lugovoi there.

Lugovoi could be extradited under international agreements if he travels outside Russia, Miliband said.

In Washington, a State Department spokesman said the Bush administration has urged Russia and Britain to cooperate.

The Russian diplomats had yet to leave the country, and the Foreign Office declined to provide their titles.

[Last modified July 17, 2007, 00:56:20]