Britain condemned Russia's refusal to extradite the main suspect
in the murder of emigre Alexander Litvinenko as "unacceptable"
yesterday and said it was reviewing cooperation with Moscow.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Russia's
response was "extremely disappointing" and Britain was unsure that
suspect Andrei Lugovoy, a former state security agent, would get a
fair trial if it was held in Russia.
"We are reviewing the situation and considering what further
steps we can take. We consider this a serious matter," the
spokesman said, adding that all options were being considered.
"Russia is an important partner on many issues and we continue
to seek a constructive relationship with them but given their
refusal to co-operate on this matter, we need to carefully consider
our range of co-operation on a range of issues."
Litvinenko, a former officer in Russia's Federal Security
Service, fled to Britain and became a critic of President Vladimir
Putin. He died in a London hospital last November after being
poisoned with radioactive polonium-210.
British prosecutors confirmed Moscow had sent a formal refusal
to extradite Lugovoy to face trial for the murder of
Litvinenko.
A spokeswoman for the foreign office said: "We've consistently
said that the murder of Mr Litvinenko is a serious criminal matter.
The Russian reply is unacceptable."
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the allegations against
Lugovoy were that "he committed this extraordinarily grave crime
here in our capital city".
Police found a trail of radiation matching Lugovoy's movements.
But Lugovoy has denied any guilt, saying he believed Litvinenko had
been killed by British intelligence.
(China Daily via agencies July 11, 2007)
