Friend of poisoned Russian ex-spy accuses Moscow

LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) A former Russian spy fighting for his life in a British hospital with suspected poisoning may have been the target of a Moscow plot, a close confidant said today, but the Kremlin called the allegation ''nonsense''.

Doctors say exiled agent Alexander Litvinenko, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has only a 50/50 chance of surviving.

British police are investigating after Litvinenko said he fell ill after meeting a contact while probing the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

In a case with echoes of a classic Cold War spy tale, Alexander Goldfarb, a close friend of Litvinenko who helped him defect to Britain six years ago, said he suspected the former spy had been targeted by the Russian government.

''It's very difficult to imagine that presidents order killings, it is true. And nobody is saying that Putin personally ordered this, although it is very likely,'' he told BBC radio.

''Of course we do not have any direct evidence other than he (Litvinenko) met some people during that day,'' Goldfarb said.

''He actually had a couple of meetings where he had drinks and this poison could be sprinkled there.'' Asked what evidence he had, Goldfarb said: ''What else do you need? ... The suspected killers have a record of similar murders.

The only difference is it's here and not there.'' In Moscow, deputy Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: ''There is no need to comment on statements that are pure nonsense.'' A spokesman for Russia's Federal Security Service declined comment.

ONE GRAM CAN KILL A spokesman for the Russian embassy in London described Litvinenko's illness as an ''accident'' and said it had no involvement.

''We are not worried about it. We have no concern about it.

You need to talk to the Metropolitan police and then wait for the end of the investigation,'' he said. ''Mr Goldfarb is his (Litvinenko's) friend and he can say anything he wants.'' The alleged poisoning took place on November 1. Litvinenko was admitted to hospital soon after but a toxicology report has only recently identified the cause of his illness.

John Henry, a clinical toxicologist, told BBC radio Litvinenko was ''quite seriously sick'' and there was ''no doubt'' he had been poisoned by thallium.

He described thallium as a ''little bit like table salt'' and said even a small amount could kill: ''It is tasteless, colourless, odourless. It takes about a gram ... to kill you.'' Goldfarb said he had visited Litvinenko in London's University College Hospital and said he looked ''like a ghost.'' ''He has lost all his hair, he is very thin, he actually hasn't eaten for 19 days now,'' he said.

Litvinenko's case echoed the poisoning of Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko, who fell ill after dining with security service leaders while he was a presidential candidate in 2004. Doctors found he had been poisoned with dioxin.

Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was murdered in London with a poison-tipped umbrella in 1978 during the Cold War.

REUTERS AB BST1652