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From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng  (Original Message)    Sent: 5/24/2007 6:26 AM
Thursday, May 24, 2007

Kremlin foe says man accused of killing former Russian spy is now in danger himself

 
LONDON (AP) — Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky said Wednesday that the life of the man accused of killing former spy Alexander Litvinenko could now be in danger because of what the suspect knows about the plot.

British prosecutors said they have sufficient evidence to charge Andrei Lugovoi with the killing of Litvinenko, a former KGB agent who died in November after being poisoned by the radioactive substance polonium-210.

Berezovsky told The Associated Press that the poisoning had been carried out on behalf of the Russian government and that Lugovoi could be ‘‘killed within the next two or three years’’ because of the information he knows.

The tycoon, now living in London after falling out with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has long accused the Russian government of being behind the plot to silence outspoken Kremlin critic Litvinenko, but Moscow has always denied the allegations, describing them as baseless and ridiculous.

‘‘He is the suspect of the plot in London, but he is also the witness of the plot in Moscow, and that is more dangerous,’’ Berezovsky said of Lugovoi in a telephone interview.

‘‘I tell you there is no doubt in Russia Lugovoi will be killed,’’ he said. ‘‘They don’t want to keep him alive because he is a witness of Putin’s crime.’’

On his deathbed, the 43-year-old Litvinenko accused Putin of being behind his killing. He had also accused Russian authorities of being behind the October killing of journalist Anna Politkovskaya and the deadly 1999 Moscow apartment bombings that stoked support for Russia’s second invasion of Chechnya.

Putin held a brief news conference in Vienna, Austria, on Wednesday, but he did not mention Litvinenko nor was he asked any questions about the case.

Litvinenko met with Lugovoi and two other Russians, Dmitry Kovtun and Vyacheslav Sokolenko, on Nov. 1 at London’s Millennium Hotel, hours before falling ill. He died Nov. 23 in a London hospital where his hair fell out and his skin turned yellow before he suffered organ failure.

Berezovsky and Litvinenko were both granted asylum in London in 2000, and Britain has repeatedly rejected Russian requests to extradite the billionaire on fraud charges, saying he would not get a fair trial.

Lugovoi, now a wealthy businessman, was once Berezovsky’s chief bodyguard in Moscow, and organized security for Berezovsky’s daughter when she traveled to Russia last year. He has denied involvement in Litvinenko’s death, saying the accusations against him are politically motivated.

British officials said Wednesday they were preparing a formal extradition request for Lugovoi after the Foreign Office summoned Russia’s ambassador Tuesday to urge his country’s cooperation. Russian officials have said they will not hand him over, citing a law prohibiting the extradition of Russian nationals.

Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov played down the potential for diplomatic repercussions in the standoff between Britain and Russia — Europe’s leading energy supplier.

‘‘I don’t see a big connection between the Litvinenko case and the development of Russian-British relations on the whole,’’ Ivanov said.

But failure to produce Lugovoi risked worsening relations between the two countries, Prime Minister Tony Blair’s spokesman said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy. He said Britain has received no formal response from Moscow.

One Russian lawmaker from a party that generally supports the Kremlin urged Lugovoi to travel to London.

‘‘I would appeal to Lugovoi personally that he go to England and not create problems. If he is convinced of his innocence, he can fully prove his innocence with the help of a lawyer,’’ Alexei Mitrofanov, of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, told the lower house of parliament, RIA-Novosti news agency reported.
http://www.parkersburgnews.com/oniWire/oniWireDetails.asp?articleID=22663&state=&category=International


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