Tests on Russian spy's contact find no poisoning

LONDON, Dec 2 (Reuters) Initial tests on an Italian contact of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko show no sign of radiation poisoning, a British hospital said today.

Mario Scaramella was admitted to hospital in London when polonium 210, the same radioactive substance that killed Litvinenko, was detected in his body.

The Litvinenko mystery has sparked a health scare after British authorities said this week that traces of radiation had been found at 12 sites and aboard planes that carried 33,000 passengers in the past month, many flying between London and Moscow. The affair also strained London's relations with Moscow.

''He is well. Preliminary tests so far show no evidence of radiation toxicity,'' a spokesman for London's University College Hospital said of Scaramella. Further tests are due to be carried out over the weekend.

Officials said a female relative of Litvinenko -- said by British media to be his wife Marina -- had traces of polonium 210 in her urine. They said she was not in short-term danger and any long-term risk was likely to be very small.

Scaramella met Litvinenko at a London sushi restaurant on November 1, the same day the Russian fell ill, to show him e-mails from a source warning both their lives might be in danger.

Litvinenko, a former agent turned fierce Kremlin critic, accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering his slow, agonising death.

Moscow denies involvement. Other theories have centred on the possible involvement of rogue Russian agents.

RADIATION TESTS FIND NOTHING Tests for radiation at the university where Russian politician Yegor Gaidar collapsed last week and at the hospital that treated him proved negative, Irish health officials said.

Ireland's Radiological Protection Institute carried out the tests as part of a wider probe into Gaidar's illness after Russian doctors could find no natural cause for his ailment.

Gaidar's spokesman Valery Natarov told Reuters Irish experts had submitted documents to Russian health officials.

''What I know is that this package (of documents) contains the results of tests they have conducted but it contains no final diagnosis,'' he said.

''They are just stating that quick radical changes have occurred to the vital functions of his body.'' Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov promised full cooperation with the Litvinenko investigation.

''I don't see any reason to speculate - like the Western press is actively doing right now - that these are the long arms of KGB or FSB (Russia's intelligence service) or that Litvinenko knew a lot as a prominent spy, which is totally wrong,'' he said.

''There must be a thorough and objective investigation. I'm sure it will proceed and Russia is ready to offer any help.'' The comments were shown by Russia's state television Vesti-24 which said they were first broadcast by Al Jazeera.

Russian authorities delayed a flight by Finnish carrier Finnair from Moscow to Helsinki today after detecting radiation on board, Russia's Transport Ministry said.

Russian officials said this week they were on high alert following Britain's decision to monitor several planes for radiation as part of the Litvinenko probe.

Finnair spokesman Taneli Hassinen said the radiation came from an earlier authorised cargo containing low-level radiation.

Today, Britain's Health Protection Agency (HPA) gave the ''all clear'' to two EasyJet planes that Scaramella flew on as well as three British Airways planes linked to the Litvinenko case.

A BA spokeswoman said two of its planes, on which authorities had found ''very low traces of a radioactive substance'', had been cleared to return to service.

A third BA aircraft that authorities were interested in had flown back from Moscow to Heathrow yesterday night.

REUTERS PB KP2209