British-Russian Tension Escalates
British-Russian Tension Escalates
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A British cultural organization on Monday defied a Russian government order to close offices in two cities, creating a fresh strain in the already tense relations between Russia and Britain.
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador to its offices and threatened a series of punitive measures, including refusing to renew the visas of the organization's staff and opening tax proceedings against the group.
The ambassador, Anthony Brenton, remained publicly defiant after the meeting, saying that the organization planned to continue operating all of its offices. Mr. Brenton also said that Russia's demands violated international law on consular activities.
The two governments have been at odds over a number of espionage and extradition disputes.
The latest disagreement centers on the operations of the British Council, an organization that is operated and financed by the British government to encourage cultural exchanges between the countries.
The council has offices in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, the cities where Britain maintains diplomatic missions.
Late last year, with the continuing tension between Russia and Britain after the poisoning death in 2006 of former K.G.B. officer Alexander V. Litvinenko in London, Russia demanded that the British Council offices in St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg close by Jan. 1.
Russia contends that the offices operate illegally and that the council has permission to maintain offices only in Moscow.
Russia celebrates New Year's and Orthodox Christmas in one extended holiday. The dispute flared again on the first Monday after the holiday, when both offices reopened.
The Foreign Ministry immediately released an angry statement, saying it had told Mr. Brenton to comply with Russian demands or risk straining relations further. "The ambassador was informed that the Russian side considered the action a deliberate provocation, directed at complicating the relationship between Russia and Britain," the statement said.
Britain has denounced the Russian order, saying that the council is protected by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and that it should be immune from political disputes.
James Barbour, a spokesman for the British Embassy, said Mr. Brenton had been handed a letter by the Russian Foreign Ministry and was reviewing it. But he said the council would continue to operate. "My understanding, and the understanding of the British government, is that the offices of the British Council will remain open," he said.
