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Russia: We Want Berezovsky
The Guardian reports on the danger of a new Moscow-London rift following Russia's demand that UK-based dissident tycoon Boris Berezovsky be handed over.
Berezovsky was interviewed in the newspaper earlier this month, when he claimed that he was planning a coup against Vladimir Putin. He said that he believed Putin could only be overthrown by force.
Russia responded with a fresh warrant for Berezovsky's arrest. Russia's ambassador also called British Home Secretary John Reid to complain about Berezovsky's activities, and warned that if Britain failed to respond, it would create "a new situation" with "some impact on bilateral relations" between the countries.
British diplomats and ministers responded with alarm to Moscow's complaints. The Guardian reports that civil servants are discussing with lawyers whether or not Berezovsky broke the terms of his refugee status by making his claims in the newspaper. Sources inside the Home Office, however, say that it is unlikely officials would be able to persuade a court that Berezovsky deserved to be returned to Russia's clutches.
Others argued that Britain was over-reacting to Russia's threats, noting that Russia is intent on creating difficulties "across the board", whether on questions of NATO's expansion, the USA's proposed missile shield and gas supplies to the European Union.
It is interesting that Russia's ambassador spoke of "bilateral relations" between London and Moscow. Russia has found that the divided nature of Europe's reponse to its renewed troublemaking strengthens Moscow's hand: France is conciliatory towards Russia, for example, while eastern European members who suffered under Soviet occupation are rather less affectionate.
Nevertheless, the wildly varying response of European governments to Russia's resurgence indicates that any common EU Russia policy is a fantasy.
Britain's links with Russia are complex. London complains more than most about Russian human rights abuses, particularly in Chechnya, and was an eager supporter of EU and NATO expansion into eastern Europe. Morever, London has become home to thousands of Russian exiles, particularly many of its billionaires and their entourages. Those who choose to go public are often critical of Vladimir Putin's regime: Londoners turned a blind eye to tales of spying and intrigue among the Russian community until late last year, when former Russian intelligence agent Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned.
Litvinenko worked for Berezovsky: It was the former intelligence agent's claim that the KGB had ordered Berezovsky's assassination that was instrumental in securing the billionaire's refugee status in London.
