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Hidden with code "Policy Violation" |
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SPAMMING DAN FLEES RUSSIA FOR SACRAMENTO AFTER BRITS REJECT ASYLUM REQUEST |
Current rating: 6 |
by Dan Disinfo no longer in Moscow Giving myself Points while I Spam the SF IMC Newswire with gehrig's last post
(No verified email address) |
26 Feb 2004
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Top Putin aide attacks Britain over lax asylum |
President Vladimir Putin's top foreign affairs adviser has reproached Britain for sheltering two of the Russian government's most-wanted men.
Akhmed Zakayev: Chechen rebel envoy
Officially, relations between the two countries have recovered since Russia opposed war in Iraq, but Sergei Prikhodko revealed that behind the scenes the Kremlin had been saying "unpleasant things" to the British Government - and that Downing Street had responded in kind.
In a rare interview, Mr Prikhodko - who as deputy chief-of-staff is one of Mr Putin's most senior aides - said that the favourable treatment granted to figures such as Akhmed Zakayev, an envoy of the Chechen rebels, and Boris Berezovsky, the exiled billionaire businessman, had prompted "sharp words" from the Kremlin.
He refused to mention either man by name, but otherwise abandoned the cautious language of diplomacy. There was, Mr Prikhodko said, "a serious issue around certain persons who are regarded by the British judicial system as political refugees seeking asylum, whereas the Russian Federation regards them as criminals".
Mr Zakayev, who denies Russia's accusations of responsibility for kidnapping and killing Russian soldiers, and inciting war, has successfully fought attempts by Moscow to extradite him from Britain. He was granted asylum by David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, last November on the grounds that he would not receive a fair trial in Russia.
As Russia's second richest man, Mr Berezovsky made an enemy of Mr Putin by financing opposition political parties. He was accused of defrauding a regional government of $13 million (£7 million), a charge that he denies, but was given asylum before an extradition request was heard.
Asked about Mr Berezovsky, Mr Prikhodko - who has a refreshingly direct manner for a Kremlin politician - said: "If London really enjoys the inflow of certain specific elements from all parts of the world, then that is its decision.
"You may collect them in London if you want, and I'm sure Britain may feel much safer. You may even spend your taxpayers' money on them if you don't have any other issues to discuss. If you want to give additional work to your lawyers and your courts, well that's your problem."
The friendship between Tony Blair and Mr Putin came under severe strain during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. Russia sided with France and Germany in opposing military action, though Mr Putin's state visit to Britain in June last year helped forge a reconciliation.
While relations with Britain were generally based on "great mutual trust", Mr Prikhodo was in no mood last week to give ground over Iraq. Instead, he delivered a caustic Russian verdict on the outcome of toppling Saddam. "It started with a search for weapons of mass destruction which didn't exist, and now we have ended up fighting against international terrorism, which was not present in Iraq before the war."
In further evidence of his unusually outspoken approach, Mr Prikhodko could not resist mocking Downing Street over the forthcoming enlargement of the European Union. In a sardonic sideswipe, he invited Britain to "accept our condolences" for having to grapple with Baltic countries that were formerly ruled by Moscow and often proved awkward for Russia to handle.
Mr Prikhodko relished the prospect of shedding responsibility for Lithuania and Latvia, where attempts are being made to close schools that cater solely for the country's substantial ethnic Russian minority.
"Now the hard-headed Lithuanian nationalists are your problem and not ours," he said. "Now, you will have to tell them in Latvia that closing schools lies way outside all laws, all regulations, all norms. That will be your task now, not ours. They are hard partners for dialogue."
Instead, with presidential elections looming in Russia, Mr Prikhodko was more interested in looking forward to Mr Putin's next four years in power. He said that he was confident that the president would take the "unpopular measures" needed to reform Russia's economy.
Opinion polls suggest that more than two thirds of voters will back Mr Putin in the elections next month. Foreign observers, and most Russian politicians, consider it all but impossible for lesser-known political figures standing against the president to make any impact, particularly given Mr Putin's firm grip on much of the media. |
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