July 13, 2007	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 27, 1428

LONDON, July 12: A growing rift between Russia and Britain over the London murder of a former Russian agent prompted warnings Thursday of a full scale diplomatic conflict, complete with tit-for-tat expulsions.

Newspapers and analysts in both countries said the row over Moscow's refusal to extradite the chief suspect in the case, Andrei Lugovoi, risked blowing bilateral ties back to the Cold War era.

According to British newspaper reports, London is considering expelling Russian diplomats to protest about what it sees as Moscow's non-cooperation with the investigation into the poisoning murder of intelligence agent-turned-Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesman Michael Ellam was tight-lipped about the situation.

“We seek a constructive relationship with Russia — but this was a very serious crime committed against a British citizen on British soil,” he told reporters.

He said he was not in a position to comment on any specific measures that might be taken against Russia, but added Moscow could “expect something shortly” in terms of a response.

A Foreign Office spokesman said that Britain was considering potential reprisals.

“Ministers and senior officials have been discussing it. But obviously it is very serious matter so it may take some time,” he said.

Commenting on the press reports, he said: “There are lots of cases when diplomats have left the UK or have been expelled. Relating to this case we are not speculating on any measure that we might take.” Asked about the possible tightening of the visa procedure as a political signal, he said: “Our visa system around the world does change occasionally and it can be used sometimes politically.

“For Russia we issue one visa a minute to Russian citizens coming to the UK, so our visa relationship is actually very good and very large,” he added.

British prosecutors allege that Lugovoi used a rare radioactive isotope to poison Litvinenko in November last year, and want him extradited to Britain to face trial.

Russia has so far refused — a stance that British Foreign Secretary David Miliband warned would be met “with the seriousness which it deserves.” The Financial Times newspaper quoted an unidentified government insider as saying that the British government was “looking at a range of options.” “There is a process going on at the moment in which those options are being examined. But you can expect something to be announced to parliament very soon.” The Daily Telegraph quoted a former diplomat familiar with Russia as saying that it was “entirely likely” that Britain could expel a “handful” of middle- and lower-ranking diplomats.

The Guardian daily, without citing its sources, said that other options on the table were the withdrawal of cooperation in a variety of issues, such as trade, counter-terrorism and education.

In Russia, the pro-government daily Izvestia said Britain's harsh rhetoric was an attempt by the newly-appointed 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 wrote.

The respected Kommersant daily warned that the dispute could spiral into “a full-scale diplomatic conflict” and quoted a series of commentators on the likely consequences of any retaliatory measures.

“I hope they will not roll back political and economic relations between us. Otherwise we'll slide into a new cold war,” Yury Kobaladze, a former intelligence officer in Britain, said.—AFP