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From The Times
July 20, 2007
We will survive this mini-crisis, says Putin after Moscow expels four diplomats
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Tony Halpin in Moscow and Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor

President Putin intervened last night to try to defuse the escalating diplomatic row between Russia and Britain. He said that the two countries would soon recover from what he dismissed as a “mini-crisis”.

In his first public comments since the tit-for-tat explusions of diplomats in London and Moscow plunged relations to their worst state since the Cold War, the Russian leader predicted that “everything will be alright”.

He said: “I think that Russian-British relations will develop normally. On both the Russian side and the British side we are interested in the development of these relations. I’m sure we will overcome this mini-crisis.”

His tone was in sharp contrast to the language used earlier when Sir Anthony Brenton, the British Ambassador to Moscow, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and told that four members of his staff had ten days to pack up and leave. Russia also banned official visits between the two countries and halted co-operation on counter-terrorism.

“The position of the new Labour Government bears no relation to the commonsense and pragmatism characteristic of the Britons,” said Mikhail Kamynin, the ministry spokesman.

The Russian response was in retaliation for Britain’s decision on Monday to expel four Russian diplomats in London because of Moscow’s failure to extradite Andrei Lugovoy. The former KGB officer is the main suspect in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, the exiled Russian poisoned in London by a lethal dose of polonium-210, a radioactive nuclear isotope.

The Russians insist that they are prevented by their Constitution from extraditing a Russian citizen to stand trial abroad.

There were fears that Russia could send home as many as 80 British diplomats. Its decision to limit the expulsions to four was an indication that it wants to avoid a prolonged and damaging confrontation. Instead, it is hoping that relations can be rebuilt quietly in the autumn once the heat has gone out of the Lugovoy affair.

More bruising confrontations are expected before the situation eases. Britain is still furious that Scotland Yard had to thwart a second murder attempt in London, against the exiled Russian opposition leader Boris Berezovsky last month.

David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, said that the Russian expulsions were “unjustified” and that Britain would be taking up the issue with its allies.

The focus of the diplomatic tussle is now likely to move to Europe, where both Britain and Russia are trying to win support for their case from key countries in the EU, which will discuss the matter at a foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Monday.

The Prime Minister will raise the issue today with President Sarkozy in Paris, where there has been public support for Britain’s cause. Bernard Kouchner, the French Foreign Minister, said on Wednesday that France stood “with absolute solidarity” behind Britain in its handling of the Litvinenko affair.

But France is not considering any action of its own. French solidarity is tempered by Mr Sarkozy’s drive to promote deeper trade relations with Moscow. Mr Putin is offering a closer commercial partnership in return for good political links with Mr Sarkozy.

It was after a telephone call from Mr Sarkozy that Total, the French oil group, was granted a contract last week to develop the giant gas field at Shtokman, in Siberia. The deal, worth £7.5 billion, creates a partnership with Gazprom. The Russian gas supplier is also said to be on the verge of a deal with Gaz de France.

While Mr Brown lobbies Mr Sarkozy, Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, will be doing the same in Berlin with Frank-Walter Steinmeier, his German counterpart.

“We must try to contain this row in case it spins out of control,” said an official in Berlin before today’s meeting.

Both Mr Steinmeier and Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, have been using extremely cautious phrasing in commenting on the dispute. German press commentary suggested that Britain was disappointed by what was seen as lukewarm support. Diplomats believe that this may be a way of positioning Berlin for a mediating role in the row.

Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, gave the British side far stronger support. “A terrible crime was committed on British soil and Britain has to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice," she told Sky News yesterday.

“Russia should honour the extradition request and Russia should co- operate fully, because it is not in anybody’s interest that you can have a crime committed of this kind and nothing be done about it. We are encouraging that there should be full co-operation from Russia, and indeed, extradition.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2106628.ece