British police aim to see ex-spy in poisoning probe

MOSCOW, Dec 7 (Reuters) British police hoped today to question former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoy in Moscow in their investigation into the poisoning of Russian ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko, Lugovoy's lawyer said.

Lugovoy met Litvinenko on the day he fell ill in a case which has revived Cold War memories but which Russia's foreign minister denied today was affecting political relations.

''Today, very soon, we expect a meeting with investigators and my client is ready to give ... evidence to Britain's law enforcement organs,'' Andrei Romashov, Lugovoy's lawyer, was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

Litvinenko, a Russian emigre who was a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, died in London on November 23 from radiation poisoning caused by ingesting Polonium 210. He was to be buried in a private ceremony in London today.

From his deathbed, Litvinenko accused Putin of ordering his death -- a charge denied by the Kremlin. Many commentators say it could have been the work of rogue elements in Russia's intelligence services, working independently of the Kremlin.

Lugovoy met Litvinenko in London on November 1 and later met a senior British diplomat in the British embassy in Moscow on November 23. He has denied any part in his poisoning.

Small traces of radiation have been found in the embassy in Moscow but an embassy spokesman declined to say whether the origin of the radiation was Polonium 210.

Lugovoy, who worked at least nine years for the state security services before going into business, is in hospital at an undisclosed location.

Russian investigators and British detectives on Wednesday interviewed a business associate, Dmitry Kovtun, in the same hospital. Kovtun was also present when Lugovoy met Litvinenko in London on November 1.

LAVROV SAYS TIES NOT AFEFCTED British police said yesterday they were treating the case as murder, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today political ties with Britain had not been affected.

''The Scotland Yard investigation is not affecting the quality of Russia-Britain political relations,'' Interfax quoted him as saying. He had said on Monday ties could be damaged if insinuations of high-level Russian involvement continued.

Relations between Russia and Britain have been soured by London's refusal to extradite millionaire and Kremlin critic Boris Berezovsky and Chechen separatist leader Akhmed Zakayev.

Russian authorities say they will lead any questioning of Russian suspects, with British police playing a limited role. They say any trial of Russian suspects would be in Russia.

Kremlin-controlled Russian media have linked the investigation into Litvinenko's death to criticism of Britain for granting asylum to controversial emigres.

In London, Zakayev accused the West of standing by as Russia passed laws allowing its agents to hunt down opponents overseas.

He said these had led to the poisoning of Litvinenko and no Western leaders had protested over passage of the laws.

In a separate case, former acting prime minister Yegor Gaidar said enemies of the Kremlin probably tried to kill him during a trip to Dublin last month during which he fell ill.

He wrote in today's Financial Times newspaper that the circumstances pointed to poisoning and blamed it on enemies of the Russian authorities who are ''interested in further radical deterioration of relations between Russia and the West.'' Reuters PDM GC1637