Britain and Russia have kept room for maneuvering amid the diplomatic
wrangling over the poisoning case of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko,
although ties between the two countries may be bruised by the dispute.
Britain has asked Russia to hand over Andrei Lugovoi, who British prosecutors
have charged with murdering Litvinenko, a request Russia has rejected citing a
constitutional ban.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday rapped a British call for Russia
to amend its constitution to extradite Lugovoi, describing it as "a vestige of
colonial thinking."
The West, however, has backed Britain in its demand, with the Portuguese
presidency of the European Union (EU) and French President Nicolas Sarkozy
offering support.
While Britain and Russia may be apparently taking a hardline, "both countries
are at the same time keeping considerable room for maneuvering" to prevent
further escalation of the crisis, a signed article in the People's Daily, a
leading Chinese news paper, said on Thursday.
Although Britain has announced its decision to expel four Russian diplomats,
but having stopped short of saying specifically who are to be expelled.
And Britain took no further steps after Russia took reciprocal action to
expel British diplomats and stop issuing visas to British nationals three days
after the British expulsion.
British officials termed the Russian decision as "unjust," but stressed
Britain valued its ties with Russia.
British Ambassador to Russia Tony Brenton said in an interview with the
Interfax news agency: "We have said a number of times -- indeed, the Foreign
Secretary made clear on Monday -- that we want strong relations with Russia
across a range of issues."
Putin, commenting on the dispute, said he believed the two countries would go
through this "temporary crisis."
The mixed message showcases the adjustment in Britain's foreign policy and
the pursuit of their respective interests, the newspaper article said.
British foreign policy is being fine-tuned since Gordon Brown took office as
new prime minister. His main job is to maintain the special relationship with
the United States and work more closely with continental European countries, the
article said.
While a departure from being too U.S.-leaning may help Brown, continental
European countries still harbor misgivings about Britain's stance. The prospect
for Britain's cooperation with the United States and other European countries in
international affairs, therefore, seems unclear now, the article said.
But the three sides are united in dealings with Russia. Most of the European
countries do not expect a dramatic warming in relations due to a lack of mutual
political trust before the presidential elections in Russia next March, it said.
Economic ties and cooperation in energy and security have propelled ties
between Britain and Russia. Oil giants BP and Royal Dutch Shell have invested
billions of U.S. dollars in Russia. Bilateral trade amounted to 15 billion
dollars last year, marking a 50-percent jump over the previous year.
And Britain sees a more urgent need for international security cooperation,
with Russia included, following a series of terrorist attacks in the country,
the article added.