Main focus of Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Tension between Great Britain and Russia

Relations between Great Britain and Russia have deteriorated dramatically: Russia has suspended cooperation with British security services after Britain expelled four Russian diplomats. The expulsion came after Russia refused to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, who is suspected of involvement in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.

taz - Germany

For Ralf Sotscheck the expulsion of Russian diplomats is an example of British "shop-window diplomacy": "Brown and his Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, are obliged to put on a fireworks display of initiatives during the first hundred days of their term in office to announce the arrival of a new era following Tony Blair's resignation. But the expulsion of diplomats is a blunt weapon. The alternative, already hinted at by Russia, would be to trade Lugovoi for London-based Russian dissident Boris Berezovsky, who is accused of money laundering and wants to topple the Russian government. However, Great Britain rejects this solution, arguing that Berezovsky wouldn't be given a fair trial in Moscow. But would Lugovoi be given a fair trial in Great Britain? After all, recent British history is peppered with cases of miscarriage of justice." (18/07/2007)

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Le Figaro - France

Pierre Rousselin considers that "the evolution is worrying. We must not exaggerate its thrust by referring constantly to the Cold War, a period very different to the one we live in today. Neither must we cover our eyes, as was the case during the last summit in Kennebunkport [on July 1st], in the United States, where, between fishing outings, George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin wanted to demonstrate that their relations were excellent. ... The truth is neither in this official pointless optimism nor in excessive alarmism. Russia is no longer the partner we dreamed of. Neither is it the enemy that it was during the Cold War. To avoid Russia regaining this role, we must bring our Russian discourse in line with reality, and, above all, stop any irreversible escalation." (18/07/2007)

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The Daily Telegraph - United Kingdom

Writer Alex Goldfarb, who knew Litvinenko, considers Russia's handling of the affair as madness. "Despite being caught practically red-handed performing an act of nuclear terrorism in their ally's capital, the Russians took the confrontational path. ... The discovery, by British detectives, of polonium-210 as the murder weapon was an unexpected mishap in an otherwise perfect murder. And so the Kremlin is holding firm; in its eyes, the slightest si gn of weakness would be exploited to the peril of the country and its system of power. ... So Britain must stand firm, and talk tough. Letting the polonium constituency get away with murder would be perceived as weakness and embolden the would-be Stalins in post-Putin Russia. Britain can't do it alone. It would require the common resolve of the whole of the Western alliance to make an impact." (18/07/2007)

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Der Standard - Austria

No state should allow murder on its own soil to go unpunished, writes Christoph Prantner. "This applies to Great Britain and would also be endorsed by the Russians had the murder taken place in Moscow rather than London and the victim been a critic of the British government instead. There's no doubt that in Great Britain the principles of the rule of law and fair conduct are observed. In Putin's Russia, on the other hand, one can't be sure of this. This is why it's time for the EU to make the transition from 'closely observing' the conflict to taking action. The Litvinenko affair is one of those cases where it's not about business or other interests, but about principles. Even though the British are often clumsy within the Union, they have earned our full support." (18/07/2007)

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