NEWUSER
07-24-2007, 11:53 PM
July 25 (Bloomberg) -- President Vladimir Putin criticized as ``insulting'' Britain's demand that Russia change its laws to extradite former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi, who is wanted in the U.K. for the murder of fellow ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko.
``What they propose is an obvious vestige of colonial thinking,'' state television cited Putin as telling pro-Kremlin youths at his residence outside Moscow late yesterday. ``They give us insulting advice on changing our constitution. It's their mindset that has to change, not our constitution.''
Litvinenko, a Kremlin critic who died in November after being poisoned with the radioactive isotope polonium-210, blamed Putin for the murder in a deathbed statement, an accusation the Kremlin called ``absurd.'' Britain and Russia last week each expelled four diplomats after the government in Moscow refused to extradite Lugovoi.
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband suggested last week Russia change its constitution to hand over Lugovoi, Agence France-Presse reported.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on July 23 again called for the extradition of Lugovoi, who has denied any role in the murder and blamed it on British secret services.
``We cannot stand by when a British citizen is assassinated on our streets, when we identify the culprit and we do not get the cooperation from Russian authorities,'' Brown told a news conference in London. He said Russia has a ``responsibility'' to hand over Lugovoi.
Russian Prosecutors
Russian law doesn't allow for extradition. It does allow for citizens to be tried at home for crimes committed abroad. Russian prosecutors said July 23 that the U.K. hasn't provided evidence to indicate Lugovoi's guilt.
``The British are already accusing him of murder, but we don't have any such information,'' said Andrei Mayorov, a senior investigator from the Prosecutor General's Office.
U.K. investigators say they believe Lugovoi poisoned Litvinenko on Nov. 1 by putting the radioactive isotope in his tea during a meeting in London's Millennium Hotel, Mayorov said. Litvinenko may in fact have been poisoned ``long before'' the Nov. 1 meeting with Lugovoi and another Russian business associate, Dmitry Kovtun, he added.
Putin said yesterday that the death of Litvinenko, a naturalized British citizen, was a ``tragedy,'' while attacking the U.K. for failing to hand over any suspects wanted in Russia.
`Serious Crimes'
``In London they have 30 people wanted by our law enforcement services for very serious crimes,'' state broadcaster Vesti cited Putin as telling the youths at his residence in Zavidivo, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of Moscow. ``They have not even thought of extraditing them.''
The U.K. is making ``impossibly high demands,'' Vesti cited Putin as saying on its Web site. ``They would do better changing their brains than our constitution.''
Putin said last week the ``mini-crisis'' in Russia-U.K relations after the tit-for-tat expulsions would be overcome.
Ties between the countries have deteriorated since Britain refused to extradite Litvinenko's patron, Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky, who was granted political asylum in 2003. Berezovsky earlier this year called for the overthrow of Putin.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a3XQ91.JXWXU&refer=home
``What they propose is an obvious vestige of colonial thinking,'' state television cited Putin as telling pro-Kremlin youths at his residence outside Moscow late yesterday. ``They give us insulting advice on changing our constitution. It's their mindset that has to change, not our constitution.''
Litvinenko, a Kremlin critic who died in November after being poisoned with the radioactive isotope polonium-210, blamed Putin for the murder in a deathbed statement, an accusation the Kremlin called ``absurd.'' Britain and Russia last week each expelled four diplomats after the government in Moscow refused to extradite Lugovoi.
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband suggested last week Russia change its constitution to hand over Lugovoi, Agence France-Presse reported.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on July 23 again called for the extradition of Lugovoi, who has denied any role in the murder and blamed it on British secret services.
``We cannot stand by when a British citizen is assassinated on our streets, when we identify the culprit and we do not get the cooperation from Russian authorities,'' Brown told a news conference in London. He said Russia has a ``responsibility'' to hand over Lugovoi.
Russian Prosecutors
Russian law doesn't allow for extradition. It does allow for citizens to be tried at home for crimes committed abroad. Russian prosecutors said July 23 that the U.K. hasn't provided evidence to indicate Lugovoi's guilt.
``The British are already accusing him of murder, but we don't have any such information,'' said Andrei Mayorov, a senior investigator from the Prosecutor General's Office.
U.K. investigators say they believe Lugovoi poisoned Litvinenko on Nov. 1 by putting the radioactive isotope in his tea during a meeting in London's Millennium Hotel, Mayorov said. Litvinenko may in fact have been poisoned ``long before'' the Nov. 1 meeting with Lugovoi and another Russian business associate, Dmitry Kovtun, he added.
Putin said yesterday that the death of Litvinenko, a naturalized British citizen, was a ``tragedy,'' while attacking the U.K. for failing to hand over any suspects wanted in Russia.
`Serious Crimes'
``In London they have 30 people wanted by our law enforcement services for very serious crimes,'' state broadcaster Vesti cited Putin as telling the youths at his residence in Zavidivo, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of Moscow. ``They have not even thought of extraditing them.''
The U.K. is making ``impossibly high demands,'' Vesti cited Putin as saying on its Web site. ``They would do better changing their brains than our constitution.''
Putin said last week the ``mini-crisis'' in Russia-U.K relations after the tit-for-tat expulsions would be overcome.
Ties between the countries have deteriorated since Britain refused to extradite Litvinenko's patron, Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky, who was granted political asylum in 2003. Berezovsky earlier this year called for the overthrow of Putin.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a3XQ91.JXWXU&refer=home