Ex-spy's killing continues to dog ties between Russia and Britain

Oct 13, 2010, 15:51 GMT

Moscow - Britain still wants Moscow to extradite the man suspected of killing a former Russian agent in London four years ago, British Foreign Minister William Hague said Wednesday.

Hague said during a visit to the Russian capital that Britain's position had not changed on the 2006 murder of Alexander Litvinenko despite a new conservative government taking power in London.

The suspect, former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi, has denied poisoning Litvinenko with the radioactive substance polonium-210. As a member of parliament, he enjoys immunity.

The case has dogged relations between Russia and Britain for years.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Hague that Russia was ready to help Britain solve the murder, but expressed regret that cooperation between the two nations' intelligence services had been put on hold in the aftermath of the killing.

Lavrov said this had affected global efforts to combat terrorism.

Moscow wants Britain to extradite exiled Russians living in London, such as tycoon Boris Berezovski.

Hague told the newspaper Novaya Gazeta that his government could not do this because of the human rights situation in Russia and the fact that trails there were often politically motivated.

The British foreign minister also met President Dmitri Medvedev during his visit.

A statement released after the talks spoke of 'the trend to a positive dynamism' in relations, but also made clear that ties were still far from normal.

Britain has still not lifted sanctions imposed against Russia after the Litvinenko killing, which prompted the tit-for-tat expulsion of eight diplomats from both capitals.

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