Britain is on the brink of a diplomatic crisis with Russia which could see the expulsion of several diplomats from London and tit-for-tat reprisals by Moscow.
The British government is preparing to send a strong signal to the Kremlin following its refusal to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, the former KGB agent suspected of murdering Alexander Litvinenko last November.
On Monday, Russian prosecutors formally announced that Lugovoi would not be handed over to the UK, on the grounds that the Russian Constitution prevents his extradition.
The government was considering on Wednesday evening countermeasures to show Britain's extreme displeasure at the Kremlin's decision and the seriousness with which it takes the "terrible" murder of Litvinenko -- a British citizen and fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The options include the possible expulsion of Russian diplomats from the London embassy and the withdrawal of cooperation in several areas, including education, trade, social affairs and counterterrorism.
A spokesman for Russia's foreign ministry, Mikhail Kamynin, warned on Wednesday that London was in danger of jeopardizing its relationship with Moscow.
"I don't understand the position of the British government. It is prepared to sacrifice our relations in trade and education for the sake of one man," he said, adding: "Our position is clearly in line with Russia's constitution and legislation."
British officials say that Foreign Secretary David Miliband is weighing the options. He will not announce a decision before next week, when the Foreign Office is expected to present a report to parliament setting out the punitive steps Britain will take. Foreign Office officials are bracing themselves for immediate and furious reprisals from Moscow, which could include the tit-for-tat expulsion of UK diplomats.
Meanwhile, nearly all major Russian dailies gave front-page coverage to the row over Moscow's refusal to extradite Lugovoi, saying the clash with London was sliding into full-scale conflict.
"The already months-old squabble between Russia and Britain over the Litvinenko affair has turned into a full-scale diplomatic conflict," the daily Kommersant wrote.
The paper quoted a series of commentators on the likely consequences of retaliatory measures London has said it is considering.
"I hope they will not roll back political and economic relations between us. Otherwise we'll slide into a new cold war," said Yury Kobaladze, a former intelligence officer in Britain.
The pro-government daily Izvestia said Britain's harsh rhetoric in the row was an attempt by newly appointed British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to appear strong.
"Does Brown really have no enemy scarier than Russia? It's as though it were Russians blowing up London buses and metro cars, planning terrorist acts at airports," Izvestia said.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
The China Coast Guard has seized control of a disputed reef near a major Philippine military outpost in the South China Sea, Beijing’s state media said, adding to longstanding territorial tensions with Manila. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea and has waved away competing assertions from other countries as well as an international ruling that its position has no legal basis. China and the Philippines have engaged in months of confrontations in the contested waters, and Manila is taking part in sweeping joint military drills with the US which Beijing has slammed as destabilizing. The Chinese coast guard
US PUBLICATION: The results indicated a change in attitude after a 2023 survey showed 55 percent supported full-scale war to achieve unification, the report said More than half of Chinese were against the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, a survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University found. The survey results, which were released on Wednesday in a report titled “Sovereignty, Security, & US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion,” showed that 55.1 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that “the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances,” while 24.5 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with the statement. The results indicated a change in attitude after a survey published in “Assessing Public Support for (Non)Peaceful Unification
RSS