EU president wants to avoid UK-Russia row damage

BRUSSELS, July 20 (Reuters) The European Union regrets Russia's refusal to extradite a murder suspect to Britain but wants to prevent the standoff further damaging already strained EU-Russia relations, an EU presidency official said today.

''We have expressed concern at Russia's refusal to cooperate constructively with Britain, but we are trying to limit things and avoid it snowballing,'' the senior Portuguese presidency diplomat told reporters.

British prosecutors have charged Andrei Lugovoy, a former KGB bodyguard, with killing Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian security agent, by spiking his tea with lethal radioactive polonium in a London hotel. Lugovoy denies the allegations and Russia refuses to extradite him.

Russia expelled four British diplomats on Thursday and suspended cooperation with London on fighting terrorism in retaliation for similar expulsions by Britain, as the bitter row over Moscow's refusal to extradite the murder suspect escalated.

EU foreign ministers will discuss the issue on Monday.

REUTERS CS HT1430