Resurgent Russia

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Viewpoint: Russia's missile fears
Does Kremlin anger over US plans to site anti-missile facilities close to its borders reflect genuine Russian concerns?
Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of foreign affairs journal Russia in Global Affairs, spoke to the BBC News website from Moscow.



America keeps saying its anti-missile system will not target Russia and to suggest otherwise would be absurd because Russia can overcome it. Well, Russia could overcome it today but what about in 15 years' time, when it is not just two facilities but a global system?

Russia would have nothing to fear if it was just the anti-missile base in Poland and the radar site in the Czech Republic but if the idea of a global anti-missile system becomes a reality, the nuclear capability of Russia, China and other countries will be undermined.

So when the Americans say they are not targeting Russia, they are right, but when Russian generals say that the US is targeting Russia, they are also right. It is two sides of the same coin.


When [Russian President Vladimir] Putin criticises the US aggressively over its anti-missile system plans, I can imagine the faces of China's leaders, sitting quietly in Beijing and happily nodding approval because Putin is fighting for them against a system none of them want. Putin reflects the views of all those who are not US allies.


Beyond electioneering

Were the US planning to build its facilities in Turkey or Italy, I think the Russian reaction would have been slightly more restrained but still negative.


Putin's sharp words today come down to his deep sense of disappointment in the US



The only Russian electioneering [ahead of the parliamentary ballot in December and presidential vote in March 2008] going on here is in the tough style and manner the Kremlin is using.

Not that Putin really needs it - our society could not be more politically consolidated if it tried and everyone backs the president and whoever he puts forward to replace him. Nonetheless, the authorities are always happy to have an extra bit of insurance.

But I do not think the stance on the anti-missile system depends on elections. The rhetoric may change but Russia will continue to view it as a threat.

Let down by Bush

Countries can cooperate on strategic security only if they trust each other and where anti-missile systems and national security are concerned, the trust has to be very high indeed.


Just now, it would be absurd to talk about such trust between Russia and the US.

Theoretically, it was possible five or six years ago, when Russia and the US were united against terrorism, but the trust gradually disappeared and Russia believes that it has been cheated by the US.

In Putin's eyes, Russia has done a great deal for the West and America. Putin removed the military base from Vietnam, he shut down the radar station in Cuba, he did not stand in the way of the US opening bases in Central Asia.

The US believes that Russia had no choice and that it was in Russian interests anyway but Russia believes that all it got for its efforts was the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, the dispute with Georgia, Nato expansion and now these anti-missile sites.

Putin's sharp words today come down to his deep sense of disappointment in the US. He feels misused.

Stumping the EU

I can understand how people see this dispute in terms of New Russian arrogance and resurgent Russian imperialism but that is a very facile interpretation.

If we are talking about projecting power here, just look at Poland, for example, which has become the lead EU state in all things regarding Russia and determines how relations with us are conducted.

All the politicians I have spoken to privately in the EU - and I do meet a lot of them - have told me they do not support the anti-missile system. They all say it is a perfectly useless thing that nobody needs.

And many of the people I have talked to in private have told me they believe the anti-missile system is a US tactic to prevent the EU from becoming an independent player in foreign policy.

In my view, the anti-missile system plan spells the end of any attempt to have a common security policy in Europe because East European countries, for very understandable reasons, do not trust Western Europe to look after their security. They believe that America will defend them.

So you can blame everything on Russia, and sadly Russia does much to encourage that position, but the situation really is much more complex.

Capitalist revolutionaries

All former empires, especially the big ones like France and Britain, have gone through the same difficult process.

For Russia it is even harder because it never regarded Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan as colonies but as natural parts of our country.

The USSR's imperialism was based on ideology and confrontation with another side. A Cold War is not possible now because it would mean dividing the world in two.

We might be wrestling with the US or EU but there would be enormous countries on the sidelines, enjoying the spectacle. I mean China, Iran and India, to some extent.

It would be a lose-lose, not win-win, situation because the winners would be China and the others.

Of course, Russia wants to be a great power again but not a superpower.

It wants to be a member of the club which sets the rules and wants to review the rules which were drawn up when it was weak.

Russia's world view today is mainly through the prism of economic interests. It perceives the outside world as an enormous market where every country competes for a share.

It is a young and terribly aggressive, ruthless, unceremonious kind of capitalism but it is guided by profit.

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FOR BBC'S FULL COVERAGE PLEASE VISIT

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Russia suspends arms control pact !

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suspended the application of a key Cold War arms control treaty.
Mr Putin signed a decree citing "exceptional circumstances" affecting security as the reason for the move.

Russia has been angered by US plans to base parts of a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic.
The 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE) limits the number of heavy weapons deployed between the Atlantic Ocean and the Urals mountains.

'Cornerstone'

The Russian suspension will become effective 150 days after other parties to the treaty have been notified, President Putin's decree says.

The suspension is not a full-scale withdrawal - but it means that Russia will no longer permit inspections or exchange data on its deployments.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said Moscow was not "shutting the door to dialogue".

THE CFE TREATY
Cornerstone of European security
Limits amount of key military equipment in designated area
Negotiated by Nato and ex-Warsaw Pact member states
Signed in 1990
Came into force in 1992
Revised 1999 version never ratified by Nato
"We have submitted to our partners proposals on ways out of the situation. And we continue to wait for a constructive reaction," Mr Kislyak said.
But a Nato spokesman said the alliance "regretted" Russia's decision.
"The allies consider this treaty to be an important cornerstone of European security," James Appathurai said.

He added that the move was "a disappointing step in the wrong direction".

Russia's suspension of its application of the treaty is yet another sign of a worsening relationship between the US and Russia, says the BBC's diplomatic correspondent, Jonathan Marcus.
An informal meeting earlier in July at the Bush family's Maine home seems to have done very little to improve ties between the two leaders, he says.
It is also yet one more sign of a more assertive Russian foreign policy, our diplomatic correspondent says.
The CFE agreement of 1990 was one of the most significant arms control agreements of the Cold War years.
It set strict limits on the number of offensive weapons - battle tanks, combat aircraft, heavy artillery - that the members of the Warsaw Pact and Nato could deploy in Europe, stretching from the Atlantic to the Urals.
In the wake of the collapse of communism, the treaty was revised in 1999, in part to address Russian concerns.
But this revised treaty has never been ratified by the Nato countries who want Russia to withdraw all of its forces from two breakaway regions with Russian-speaking majorities - Abkhazia in Georgia and Trans-Dniester in Moldova.

"The CFE treaty and missile defence are the two major irritants between Russia and the West. It would have been easy, it still is easy, I think Nato allies feel, to move closer to ratifying the CFE treaty," the Nato spokesman added.

Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2007/07/14 11:21:19 GMT

© BBC MMVII

 

[genmirajborgza786]

UK expels four Russian diplomats

The UK is to expel four Russian diplomats in response to Moscow's refusal to extradite the prime suspect in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband also said co-operation with Russia on a range of issues was under review.

Prosecutors want Andrei Lugovoi, an ex-KGB officer, to face trial in the UK. He denies involvement.

Moscow condemned the UK's position as "immoral" and said the expulsions would have "serious consequences".

Former KGB agent Mr Litvinenko died of exposure to radioactive polonium-210 in London in November 2006.

The Foreign Office has not named the four Russian diplomats, but the BBC understands they are intelligence officers.

Mr Miliband told MPs Russia was an important ally and the situation was one that Britain had "not sought and does not welcome".

But he said it was necessary to send a "clear and proportionate signal" to Russia, about the seriousness with which Britain regarded the matter.


A UK citizen has suffered a horrifying and lingering death.
David Miliband


Russia's Foreign Ministry chief spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said: "London's position is immoral.

"Moreover, in London they should clearly realise that such provocative actions masterminded by the British authorities will not be left without an answer and cannot but entail the most serious consequences for Russian-British relations".

Mr Litvinenko's widow Marina said she was "very grateful" for the actions being taken by the British government and "proud to be a UK citizen".

Under the European Convention on Extradition 1957, the Russians have the right to refuse the extradition of a citizen.

The UK has the right to request that Mr Lugovoi be tried in Russia, but the UK's director of public prosecutions Sir Ken Macdonald, has already turned down the offer.

Mr Miliband said Moscow's refusal to extradite Mr Lugovoi had been "extremely disappointing" and said both the UN and EU had reported concerns that the law in Russia was applied selectively.

Co-operation reviewed

He told MPs the four diplomats would be expelled and said international agreements had been reached that would allow Mr Lugovoi to be extradited to the UK if he travelled abroad.

Mr Miliband added: "We shall review the extent of our cooperation with Russia on a range of issues, and as an initial step we have suspended visa facilitation negotiations with Russia and made other changes to visa practice."


KEY EVENTS IN CASE
1 November 2006: Alexander Litvinenko meets Andrei Lugovoi and another Russian at a London hotel
23 November 2006: Litvinenko dies in a London hospital
24 November 2006: A Litvinenko statement accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of involvement in his death. Experts say Litvinenko was poisoned
6 December 2006: UK police say they are treating the death as murder
22 May 2007: Lugovoi should be charged with Litvinenko's murder, British prosecutors say
28 May 2007: UK makes formal request for Lugovoi's extradition from Russia


The British embassy in Moscow later said that the visa process would only change for applications submitted by the Russian government, not those from ordinary Russians.

The foreign secretary denied it was a "rush to judgment", but said: "A UK citizen has suffered a horrifying and lingering death.

"His murder put hundreds of others, residents and visitors, at risk of radiation contamination, and the UK government has a wider duty to ensure the safety of the large Russian community living in the UK."

Shadow foreign secretary William Hague said his party supported the tone and substance of the government's response.

'Appalling crime'

He said the Conservatives hoped Russia would remain a key ally on issues like nuclear proliferation, the Middle East peace process, Kosovo and Iran, but that would require a "more positive and co-operative approach" from Moscow.

"An appalling crime of this nature and gravity cannot simply be overlooked," he added.


And for the Lib Dems, Michael Moore said the government had been forced to act, because of the lack of co-operation from Moscow.

Later he added: "Today's announcement is an indication of the serious deterioration in Britain's relationship with Russia.

"The Russian authorities should be in no doubt that we expect nothing less than full co-operation over the investigation into the murder of Mr Litvinenko."

The radioactive isotope used to poison Mr Litvinenko was found in a string of places that Mr Lugovoi visited in London, but he said he was a witness, not a suspect in the case.

Scapegoat claim

He has said he was made a scapegoat and the poisoning could not have happened without some involvement from the British intelligence services.

He has also claimed that MI6 had tried to recruit him, to collect information on Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The UK's director of public prosecutions has recommended that Mr Lugovoi be tried for murder by "deliberate poisoning".

Mr Lugovoi has told the BBC's Moscow bureau he has no comment about Mr Miliband's speech.

But former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev reportedly told Russian news agencies: "In the past in similar situations Russia has always taken decisive and adequate measures.

"In the end, both the UK and the US always understood that this approach doesn't work. This matter shouldn't be politicised."

Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2007/07/16 17:05:08 GMT

© BBC MMVII

 

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Litvinenko demand foolish - Putin
A UK request that a former KGB agent be extradited over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko is "pure foolishness", Russian President Vladimir Putin says.
Russia's constitution did not permit it to hand over citizens and British prosecutors' competence was in doubt if they had not known that, Mr Putin said.

He said if the UK sent enough evidence a trial could be held in Russia.

The UK wants to charge Andrei Lugovoi, who denies involvement, with murdering Mr Litvinenko, 43, in London in 2006.

He died in November after exposure to the radioactive isotope polonium-210.

Mr Litvinenko, who was granted political asylum in the UK in 2000, was a former KGB agent himself and a critic of Mr Putin.

The UK's director of public prosecutions has recommended that Mr Lugovoi be tried for murder by "deliberate poisoning" and a formal extradition request has been handed over to the authorities in Moscow.


KEY EVENTS IN CASE
1 November 2006: Alexander Litvinenko meets Andrei Lugovoi and another Russian at a London hotel
23 November 2006: Litvinenko dies in a London hospital
24 November 2006: A Litvinenko statement accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of involvement in his death. Experts say Litvinenko was poisoned
6 December 2006: UK police say they are treating the death as murder
22 May 2007: Lugovoi should be charged with Litvinenko's murder, British prosecutors say
28 May 2007: UK makes formal request for Lugovoi's extradition from Russia


The request has been made under the 1957 Council of Europe European Convention on Extradition, of which Russia is a signatory. However, Russia does have the right, under Article 6, to refuse to extradite one of its nationals.

Speaking to journalists ahead of his attendance at the G8 summit in Germany, Mr Putin reiterated the fact that Russia can prosecute a citizen for a crime in a foreign country.

However, he said the UK had not yet supplied it with sufficient details of the case against Mr Lugovoi, who met Mr Litvinenko on the day he fell ill.

"Rather than simply demand Lugovoi's extradition, they should send enough evidence for the case to be taken to court," he said.

"We'll do it in Russia, and any person found guilty of causing Litvinenko's death will be convicted."

Mr Litvinenko's widow, Marina, has dismissed Mr Lugovoi's claims that British secret services had a part in the death.

She said her husband's case was different from anything that had happened before and Russia should reconsider its law over extraditions.








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Published: 2007/06/04 01:54:51 GMT

© BBC MMVII

 

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Russia warns UK over expulsions

Mr Litvinenko died in a London hospital in November 2006
Lugovoi interview
The Kremlin has warned Britain it faces "serious consequences" after expelling four Russian diplomats from the UK.
The move followed Moscow's refusal to hand over the former KGB agent accused of murdering Alexander Litvinenko in London last year.

Suspect Andrei Lugovoi, who denies involvement, claimed the charges against him had a "political subtext".

But Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Britain will make "no apologies" for expelling the four Russians.

Mr Brown said that because "there is no forthcoming co-operation, then action has to be taken".

The Foreign Office has not named the four Russian diplomats, but the BBC understands they are intelligence officers.

'Absolutely clear'

The BBC's James Rodgers in Moscow said the expulsions would not go unanswered and that the two countries were "facing off" in way not seen since the end of the Cold War.

Moscow has warned that what it describes as "Russophobia" in British politics would damage British-Russian relations, he said. A statement from Moscow is expected later.

Mr Litvinenko, another former KGB agent, died of exposure to radioactive polonium-210 in London in November 2006.


We don't want to be provoked into a ping-pong game
Dmitri Peskov
Spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin


The radioactive isotope used to poison him was found in several places that Mr Lugovoi had visited in London.

But Mr Lugovoi told Russian television that the outcome of the inquiry had been predetermined.

He said: "The British authorities have in effect emphasised yet again that the Litvinenko case actually has a political subtext.

"In all the eight months that this row has been developing in earnest, I have not received a single official invitation from the official British authorities, and all those statements that the investigation was carried out competently are lies."

Action 'necessary'

On a visit to Berlin on Monday, Mr Brown said: "When a murder takes place, when a number of innocent civilians were put at risk as a result of that murder, and when an independent prosecuting authority makes it absolutely clear what is in the interests of justice, and there is no forthcoming co-operation, then action has to be taken."

The prime minister added that he wanted a "good relationship" with Russia.


KEY EVENTS IN CASE
1 November 2006: Alexander Litvinenko meets Andrei Lugovoi and another Russian at a London hotel
23 November 2006: Litvinenko dies in a London hospital
24 November 2006: A Litvinenko statement accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of involvement in his death. Experts say Litvinenko was poisoned
6 December 2006: UK police say they are treating the death as murder
22 May 2007: Lugovoi should be charged with Litvinenko's murder, British prosecutors say
28 May 2007: UK makes formal request for Lugovoi's extradition from Russia


Russia's Foreign Ministry chief spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said: "London's position is immoral.

"Such provocative actions masterminded by the British authorities will not be left without an answer and cannot but entail the most serious consequences for Russian-British relations."

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitri Peskov said: "We don't want to be provoked into a ping-pong game, although of course the Russian side will provide a necessary response."

Mr Litvinenko's widow Marina said she was "very grateful" for the British government's actions and "proud to be a UK citizen".

Right to refuse

Under the European Convention on Extradition 1957, the Russians have the right to refuse the extradition of a citizen.

The UK has the right to request Mr Lugovoi be tried in Russia, but the UK's director of public prosecutions, Sir Ken Macdonald, has already turned down the offer.

The Conservative MP Sir Malcolm Rifkind was foreign secretary the last time Russian diplomats were expelled.


Of course it will not produce the result we would ideally like, but it's important that the very, very deeply unsatisfactory nature of this event is well demonstrated
Sir Malcolm Rifkind

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that it had always been unlikely that President Putin, himself a former KGB agent, would have allowed Mr Lugovoi's extradition.

"But you know it's important that the Russians, if they do choose to behave in this way... realise that there is a price and that price is the embarrassment, the inconvenience the difficulties caused by the expulsion of their diplomats," he said.

"Of course it will not produce the result we would ideally like, but it's important that the very, very deeply unsatisfactory nature of this event is well demonstrated."

The UK's director of public prosecutions has recommended Mr Lugovoi be tried for murder by "deliberate poisoning".

Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2007/07/17 09:43:11 GMT

© BBC MMVII

 

[genmirajborgza786]

Cooling ties of Britain and Russia

As the UK expels four Russian diplomats following Moscow's refusal to extradite the main suspect in the murder of former spy Alexander Litvinenko, BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus considers the implications of Britain's move.
There is no doubting the seriousness with which the British government views this case.

A man was murdered in London and the method employed - the use of a highly radioactive substance - raised wider issues of public safety.

So a tough response was expected.

But Britain has had to weigh up its potential actions carefully.

In his statement, Foreign Secretary David Miliband made it clear that Russia remained a key player on the international stage and that Britain wanted good relations with Moscow.

The aim of the measures that Britain had taken, principally the expulsion of four diplomats, was intended, he said, to send "a clear and proportionate signal" to the Russian authorities.

Travel restriction

Their practical impact though may well be limited.

Certainly it will be harder for Russian officials to visit the UK; the position for ordinary Russian citizens will remain largely the same; though discussions to speed up existing visa procedures will be suspended.


The man the British government wants to bring to trial - Andrei Lugovoi - will have his own travel plans restricted since he clearly will not be able to go anywhere there is an established extradition procedure with the UK.

Beyond that, and the inconvenience to the four diplomats expelled, that is as far as it goes.

But this has now become a highly charged political matter. At the very least an equivalent Russian response is widely expected.

What matters then will be whether the two governments can draw a line under this affair and begin to restore the tattered fabric of their relationship. Or will relations simply head into the freezer?

Given the improving level of economic ties between Britain and Russia, neither country has any fundamental interest in making a meal of this.

But given the gravity of what happened, the government in London clearly felt that it needed to make it clear that actions of this kind - whoever in Russia was responsible - are just not acceptable.

Lectures

More worrying to many analysts is the way that this "local dispute" between London and Moscow plays into the wider pattern of relations between Russia and the West.


Russia's flexing of its energy muscle has already alarmed many Europeans who generally take a fairly negative view about domestic political developments in Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin does not take kindly to being lectured on matters like human rights and democracy and this sensitivity has added another element of tension into the mix.

Russia's broader desire to be treated as an equal by Washington on the world stage only complicates the picture further.

From Moscow's view, Washington and Nato are encroaching more and more into Russia's sphere of influence.

Russia wants Nato's expansion eastwards to go no further and it certainly does not want the US to deploy an anti-missile system in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Over the past several months, President Putin and other Russian spokesmen have launched a series of rhetorical attacks against the US and its allies reminiscent of the sort of insults bandied about during the Cold War.

This is the context within which the row between London and Moscow must be situated.

Containing damage

It would be wrong to speak of a new Cold War; the world has simply changed too much.


But it is clear that the new Russia is far from comfortable with its present international position.

Russia and the West have so far failed to engage in a purposeful dialogue that satisfies the aspirations of both sides.

On present evidence it is hard to see the UK-Russia row as leading to a fresh start.

Both governments may wish to contain the damage, but the broader climate between Russia and the West is already chilly in the extreme.

So far though, all of the tensions have not influenced Russia's behaviour on the vital international issues of the day, not least efforts to contain Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Some diplomats fear that recent Russian statements on the political future of Kosovo could signal that the worsening atmosphere is now beginning to have a practical effect.

Will the UK-Russia row make things worse? Well, as one leading British diplomat noted, "it could mark a further toughening in the relationship".

"It is one thing [for Russia] to react bilaterally," he went on, "quite another to put security in the Balkans at stake."

So events in London could have diplomatic repercussions that extend way beyond the narrow sphere of UK-Russia ties.

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Published: 2007/07/16 18:34:52 GMT

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[genmirajborgza786]

Lugovoi row annoys Russian media

The expulsion by Britain of four Russian diplomats over Moscow's refusal to extradite a suspect in the Alexander Litvinenko murder case prompts scepticism and irritation in the Russian media.

Many commentators say the extradition request for Andrei Lugovoi contravenes Russia's constitution, while another argues that Britain has refused similar requests from Russia.

Others seek to downplay the row and doubt that either Russia or the UK want to seriously harm their economic ties.

PRESENTER IVAN KUDRYAVTSEV ON VESTI TV

On its 20th day in power the new British cabinet managed to complicate relations with Russia to an extent that very few have managed in recent years.

ANDREY TEREKHOV IN NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA

Britain wants to have solid relations with Russia, but at the same time London is expelling four Russian diplomats and demanding that the Constitution of the Russian Federation be changed... At present, neither London nor Moscow want to endanger their trade and economic co-operation. Abolishing trade preferences would be an extreme move in the current confrontation.

NADEZHDA SOROKINA IN ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA

Over the past six years, Moscow has sent Britain 21 extradition requests but not a single suspect has been extradited. The suspects included fraudsters, killers, terrorists, drug dealers and persons involved in particularly serious embezzlement of funds. Six of the people mentioned in the requests have been granted political asylum in Great Britain.

ALEKSANDR MINEYEV IN NOVYYE IZVESTIYA

The toughest measures on the list of possible responses were rejected. First, such measures should not be taken on impulse, as an outpouring of emotion. Secondly, sensible pragmatic attitudes do not involve killing "the goose that lays the golden egg" - that is the present level of economic relations between Russia and Great Britain.

IVAN SOTNIKOV IN GAZETA

An official representative of the British embassy has told Gazeta that Russia simply failed to realise fully how important the matter is for Great Britain.

VLADIMIR PEREKREST IN IZVESTIYA

It is as if the British were saying that they were not the ones who started it all and that they simply had to respond. They are not telling the truth... Despite all this, Great Britain is insisting that Russia violate its constitution. It was Britain that started playing tough and demanding the extradition of Lugovoi, which is clearly against the [Russian] law.

MOSKOVSKIY KOMSOMOLETS

An analysis of all the previous conflicts between the two nations shows that every new aggravation has set relations too far back. Also, there is every reason to believe that it will not be easy for London to "punish" Moscow for its unwillingness to violate its own constitution.

ZURAB NALBANDYAN IN TRUD

The reaction must not endanger trade and economic relations which are booming and are at their highest level for the past 100 years. The difficult thing for Britain is that the Russian constitution does not allow the government to extradite Russian nationals and therefore Moscow's actions in this case are fully justified.

BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad.

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Published: 2007/07/17 10:07:13 GMT

© BBC MMVII

 

[genmirajborgza786]

Russia sends warning to the West

By Jonathan Marcus
BBC diplomatic correspondent
President Vladimir Putin's decision to suspend Russia's participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe, or CFE, treaty is a potent political signal.
It is yet another sign of the worsening relationship between Moscow and the West.

It shows that this relationship was not improved in any substantial way by the informal meeting at the start of this month between the US and Russian presidents at the Bush family's holiday home at Kennebunkport in Maine.

It is another diplomatic warning shot from Mr Putin across the bows of the Bush administration.

And with crucial issues like Iran's nuclear programme and the political future of Kosovo looming at the United Nations, it raises a new set of questions about how far Russia might go to block initiatives backed by Washington and its key allies.


President Putin's move will be taken as yet another sign of a more assertive foreign policy - a policy buoyed up by Moscow's rising income from oil and natural gas


The Russians have been threatening to suspend their participation in the CFE treaty for several months.

An emergency meeting in mid-June to discuss the issue made little if any progress.

The CFE treaty of 1990 was one of the most significant arms control agreements of the Cold War years.

It set strict limits on the number of offensive weapons - tanks, aircraft, artillery and so on - that the members of the Warsaw Pact and Nato could deploy in a broadly-defined Europe, stretching from the Atlantic to the Urals.

In the wake of the collapse of communism, the treaty was revised in 1999, in part to address Russian concerns.


This revised treaty has never been ratified by the Nato countries who first want Russia to withdraw all of its forces from the former Soviet Republics of Georgia and Moldova. Now Russia's patience has run out.
President Putin's decree to suspend application of the treaty is not the same as a full-scale withdrawal - that would require a formal notification of the other parties.

This suspension is a unilateral Russian measure and its practical impact will be limited.

Various routine inspections, exchanges of data, and so on will presumably be halted.


Irrelevant?

In many ways the CFE treaty is not hugely relevant today.

The Cold War is over and whatever new tensions there may be between Russia and the West, nobody envisages a return to an armed stand-off on the European continent.

Nonetheless Mr Putin's decision matters.


It is clearly nonsense to speak of a new Cold War


For a start it raises questions about yet one more arms control treaty at a time when disarmament experts fear that the whole network of arms control treaties established during the Cold War years is increasingly under strain.

The United States pulled out of another key agreement, the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty, in December 2001.

In a sense Mr Putin is just demonstrating that what the Americans can do in the name of their vital interests, so Russia can also threaten in the name of its national interest.

President Putin's move will be taken as yet another sign of a more assertive foreign policy - a policy buoyed up by Moscow's rising income from oil and natural gas.

But analysts wonder if this is really a sign of strength.

For all its energy revenues, Russia remains a shadow of the former Soviet Union in the superpower stakes.

Russian experts argue that Mr Putin realises this.

But in certain key areas, not least missile defence, he wants to be treated by Washington as an equal.


THE CFE TREATY
Cornerstone of European security
Limits amount of key military equipment in designated area
Negotiated by Nato and ex-Warsaw Pact member states
Signed in 1990
Came into force in 1992
Revised 1999 version never ratified by Nato


Russian opposition to US plans to deploy limited missile defence in Poland and the Czech Republic is at the heart of their current disagreements.

But Russia's ever more muscular noises that it might block a proposed United Nations deal on the political future of Kosovo adds a worrying dimension to what up to now has been largely a rhetorical row.

Add in "local difficulties" like the dispute between London and Moscow over the murder of a former Russian agent living in Britain and there is real danger that relations between Russia and the West could be heading back to the freezer.

It is clearly nonsense to speak of a new Cold War.

But several Russian foreign policy experts have expressed concern that relations could deteriorate significantly.

Mr Putin's position, they say, is more sophisticated and perhaps more nuanced than some Russian spokesmen's pronouncements might indicate.

Mr Putin has gone some way, for example, in acknowledging that Iran does represent a potential missile threat. But Mr Putin is drawing on a strong well of anti-Americanism in Russia's military and foreign policy establishment.

That is why Mr Putin's whole approach risks sounding, and indeed becoming, blunter and more dogmatic than even he probably wants.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6898897.stm

Published: 2007/07/14 12:58:11 GMT

© BBC MMVII

 

[genmirajborgza786]

Thing's are getting real bad possibilities are high of a lot of shifts & changes in the arena of "Geo-political" alliance's !
Russia expels four UK diplomats
Russia is to expel four UK diplomats in the continuing row over Moscow's refusal to extradite the man suspected of Alexander Litvinenko's murder.
The four diplomats must leave Russia within 10 days, and Moscow is to review visa applications for UK officials.

Foreign ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said co-operation in counter terrorism would no longer be possible.

On Monday four Russian embassy staff were expelled from the UK as part of the row over the murder in London.

Mr Kamynin also said Moscow would not apply for any UK visas for Russian officials.

Denies involvement

He said Britain's decision to expel the Russian diplomats was based "not on good sense or pragmatism".

Earlier Tony Brenton, Britain's ambassador in Moscow, was summoned to Russia's foreign ministry and given "certain messages" to pass on to the Foreign Office in London.

He added that he had outlined "our continuing disappointment at Russia's reaction so far to our request for the extradition of Mr Lugovoi and our continuing hope that Russia will find a way to co-operate".

Alexander Litvinenko, an ex-KGB agent who had taken UK citizenship, died of exposure to radioactive polonium-210 in London in November 2006.

Traces of the radioactive isotope was found in several places visited by another former agent, Andrei Lugovoi.

Mr Lugovoi denies involvement and says he is a witness, not a suspect in the case and has told Russian television that the outcome of the inquiry had been predetermined.

Under the European Convention on Extradition 1957, Russia has the right to refuse the extradition of a citizen.

The UK has the right to request Mr Lugovoi be tried in Russia, but the UK's director of public prosecutions, Sir Ken Macdonald, has already turned down the offer.

The UK's director of public prosecutions has recommended Mr Lugovoi be tried for murder by "deliberate poisoning".

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6906481.stm

Published: 2007/07/19 12:34:05 GMT

© BBC MMVII

 

[genmirajborgza786]

oh' that poor little big ego of that broken empire now known as the tiny little united kingdom seldom foolish is its gesture's because in reality the united kingdom is just too small & weak to be macho with the strong & emerging giant "THE GREAT RUSSIAN EMPIRE" of the new millennium!

UK 'not being macho with Russia'
The UK government has insisted it does not want its diplomatic dispute with Russia to go "any wider".
Four Russian embassy staff have been expelled over Moscow's refusal to hand over the chief suspect for the murder Alexander Litvinenko in London.

But Europe minister Jim Murphy said the expulsions had been made with "deep, deep regret" and insisted it was not acting in a "macho" way.

Moscow has promised an "appropriate and targeted" response.

The European Union's Portuguese presidency expressed its "disappointment" that Russia had not dealt "constructively" with the UK over the Litvinenko case.

'Targeted'

Facing questions from the Commons foreign affairs committee, Mr Murphy said the expulsions of Russian diplomats been a "targeted, specific measure" intended to secure the extradition of the chief suspect - former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoy.


It's important that the very, very deeply unsatisfactory nature of this event is well demonstrated
Sir Malcolm Rifkind
Former foreign secretary


He added: "It was a decision taken with deep, deep regret. We have no ambitions towards a macho response.

"We have taken a considered, measured response which we think is appropriate in these circumstances.

"Our intention is to contain process. We have no ambition to go wider."

In a statement, the EU's Portuguese presidency said: "The EU expresses its disappointment at Russia's failure to cooperate constructively with the UK authorities.

"The EU underlines the importance of urgent and constructive cooperation by the Russian Federation on this matter."

'Serious consequences'

Russia's deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko has said the expulsions will complicate "vitally important" security issues.

The Foreign Office said it had set out its position adding: "No retaliation on Russia's behalf is justified."

A full statement is expected from Moscow, which has warned Britain to expect "serious consequences".


KEY EVENTS IN CASE
1 November 2006: Alexander Litvinenko meets Andrei Lugovoi and another Russian at a London hotel
23 November 2006: Litvinenko dies in a London hospital
24 November 2006: A Litvinenko statement accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of involvement in his death. Experts say Litvinenko was poisoned
6 December 2006: UK police say they are treating the death as murder
22 May 2007: Lugovoi should be charged with Litvinenko's murder, British prosecutors say
28 May 2007: UK makes formal request for Lugovoi's extradition from Russia


Mr Lugovoi, who is accused of murdering Mr Litvinenko in London last year, denies involvement.

Mr Litvinenko, who had taken UK citizenship, died of exposure to radioactive polonium-210 in London in November last year.

The radioactive isotope used to poison him was found in several places that Mr Lugovoi had visited in London.

But Mr Lugovoi told Russian television that the outcome of the inquiry had been predetermined.

Under the European Convention on Extradition 1957, Russia has the right to refuse the extradition of a citizen.

The UK has the right to request Mr Lugovoi be tried in Russia, but the UK's director of public prosecutions, Sir Ken Macdonald, has already turned down the offer.

The UK's director of public prosecutions has recommended Mr Lugovoi be tried for murder by "deliberate poisoning".

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6905237.stm

Published: 2007/07/18 16:53:57 GMT

© BBC MMVII

 

[genmirajborgza786]

Russia-Britain relations reach low point
By JIM HEINTZ, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 19 minutes ago
In the early months of his presidency, Vladimir Putin met British leader Tony Blair for a beer at a cozy Moscow restaurant. The setting and the leaders' tentative smiles had the air of a promising date that might bloom into something big for Britain and Russia.

But the relationship never really took off, and now the countries are locked in a furious dispute — each complaining of disrespect and misunderstanding by the other. Whether the aggrieved sides can swallow their pride to seek compromise is unclear, and a long spell of sulking and sniping may be in store.

Britain and Russia were an odd couple at best — one a Western nation with a long democratic tradition, the other already showing discomfort with democracy after only a decade and deeply suspicious of the West. By late 2002, the bloom had faded: Putin and Blair staged an intimate walk for the cameras through the Russian president's country estate, then went to a news conference where they disagreed on tougher measures against Iraq.

Once the Iraq war began, Russia denounced it and disagreements accelerated. Russia resented Britain's granting asylum to Putin opponent Boris Berezovsky and Chechen rebel envoy Akhmed Zakayev; Britain, and other Western countries, gave encouraging words to the "color revolutions" in Georgia and Ukraine that Russia saw as stalking horses for undermining Putin's regime; Russia accused British diplomats of spying and of funding Kremlin-critical organizations.

In November came the poisoning murder of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko in London. Britain sent investigators to Russia in the case, but they were not permitted to question suspects. After Britain named Russian businessman Andrei Lugovoi as its chief suspect and demanded his extradition, Russia refused, saying its constitution prevents such a move — and chided Britain for not extraditing Berezovsky and Zakayev.

Then Blair, whose attempts to cultivate Russia had been seen by many as subservient, left office. The government of new Prime Minister Gordon Brown ordered the expulsion of four Russian diplomats as retaliation for Russia's extradition refusal.

Russia on Thursday ordered the reciprocal expulsion of four British diplomats and took other measures commensurate to Britain's. That may indicate that each side now has the emotional satisfaction of taking a firm stand and have reached the point from which resolution can be considered.

On both sides, "the degree of feeling offense is too strong to seek reconciliation," said Natalia Leshchenko, an analyst at the Global Insight think-tank. She suggested that both sides will spend the near future venting their grievances as strongly as possible before either would make a move toward the other.

For now, top officials of both sides indicate that the other would have to make the first move. Russian Ambassador Yuri Fedotov said resolution largely depends on "Britain's political will." Brown's spokesman said Russia's response "is a matter for the Russian government."

Russia has shown a suspected inclination to punish other countries it quarrels with, without tying the measures directly to the disputes. As relations with Georgia deteriorated, Russia blocked the import of Georgian wine, a key export commodity. After a dispute with Estonia, Russia unexpectedly canceled some passenger train service to the Baltic country and restricted truck traffic on a key bridge.

Berezovsky has proposed the dispute could be resolved by having both him and Lugovoi tried in third countries. But Britain rejects the idea and Russia would be unlikely to accept a move that would be a tacit expression of distrust in its own court system.

As with quarreling couples who stay together because it would be too expensive to split up, money may be the most compelling reason for Russia and Britain to eventually make up. British companies have some $12 billion invested in Russia and Britain is a prime customer for Russian oil, gas and precious metals.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, should be concerned that Britain could try to impede Russia's long-desired entry into the World Trade Organization, said analyst Andranik Migranian, of the Moscow State Institute for International Relations.

"In the Kremlin, they realize it's important to make money," Leshchenko said.

But Britain on Wednesday said it sees only one way out of the conflict.

"The end game is Russian cooperation," Britain's Europe Minister Jim Murphy said. "And the extradition of one individual."


EDITOR'S NOTE — Jim Heintz, a Moscow-based correspondent on assignment in London, has covered Russian politics since 1999.
Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.


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