LONDON (Reuters):Britain ordered the expulsion of four Russian diplomats yesterday over Moscow's refusal to hand over the main suspect in the murder of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, escalating tension between Russia and the West.
Russia said the decision was "immoral", would prompt retaliation and could only entail "the most serious consequences for Russian-British relations", according to a foreign ministry spokesman.
Aside from the expulsions - the first since 1996 - Britain said it would make it harder for Russian officials to come to the country and review cooperation on other issues. It said the case could harm Russian ties with the European Union as a whole.
"This is a situation the government has not sought and does not welcome. But we have no choice but to address it," British Foreign Secretary David Miliband told parliament.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaking after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, said he wanted good relations with Russia but also wanted justice to be served. He said he made no apologies for the diplomatic expulsions.
"We want to work together with Russia constructively on all the major international issues that we face," said Brown, mentioning Iran and the Middle East.
But, he added: "A murder did take place. It has been investigated by the independent prosecuting authorities. They have laid a charge and they have made it clear who they want to try for this crime.
"We're sad that the cooperation has not been forthcoming. We have therefore had to take the action that we have taken."
British prosecutors want to charge former Russian state security agent Andrei Lugovoy with the murder of Litvinenko, a British citizen who died in a London hospital after ingesting a lethal dose of the rare radioactive isotope polonium-210.
Russia has rejected Britain's request to hand over Lugovoy, saying its constitution does not allow extraditions of Russian citizens.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the demand is politically motivated. Lugovoy asserted his innocence yesterday.
