Britain, Russia pledge to find common ground
Last Updated: Monday, November 2, 2009 | 11:08 AM ET
CBC News
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov have pledged that their nations will find common ground on global issues despite a key issue that has strained their ties.
Their comments came on Miliband's visit to Moscow Monday. As the first British foreign secretary to visit Russia in five years, he said Britain will continue pressing for justice in the 2006 killing of Alexander Litvinenko, but added that there are other areas where the two nations can work together.
Russian-British relations fell to a post-Cold War low after Litvinenko, a former Russian security officer and British citizen, died after being poisoned by radioactive polonium in London.
Russia has refused to extradite the main suspect, Andrei Lugovoi, saying the country's constitution forbids it. A former security officer turned millionaire businessman, Lugovoi is now a member of Russia's Kremlin-controlled parliament.
On Monday, Lavrov reaffirmed Russia's refusal to hand over Lugovoi, saying it would require an amendment to the Russian constitution.
He said Russia was ready to prosecute suspects in the Litvinenko case provided British authorities divulge evidence. Miliband responded that British authorities have already provided such evidence to their Russian counterparts.
Miliband's visit to Moscow comes on the third anniversary of Litvinenko's poisoning, and the timing of the meeting angered his widow, Marina.
While noting their differences, both Lavrov and Miliband sought to emphasize the areas of shared interest, such as collective work to settle the Iranian nuclear standoff and bring peace to the Middle East.
With files from The Associated Press
