Home>News Center>World
         
 

Putin downplays British spying scandal
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-26 10:03

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that the discovery of an alleged spy ring run by British diplomats also accused of funneling funds to non-governmental organizations proved the government was right to impose new restrictions on NGOs.

In remarks broadcast by Russian television stations Putin appeared to play down the likelihood of expelling the four British Embassy staff accused of spying and said that Russia did not intend to allow the spy scandal to spoil relations with the West.

But, he said, it was "lamentable" that foreign intelligence services were financing Russian nonprofit groups.

"We see that there are attempts to work with non-governmental organizations with the use of intelligence tools, and that there is financing of non-governmental organizations by intelligence agencies," Putin said.

Russia's main security agency on Monday accused the British diplomats of secretly providing money for NGOs, including to the country's best-known human rights body, the Moscow Helsinki Group.

The State Duma on Wednesday passed a resolution condemning the alleged involvement of foreign spies with NGOs. Putin earlier this month signed into a law a measure that imposed severe new limits on the activities and financing of non-governmental organizations. The legislation attracted a tide of Western criticism amid concerns about a rollback of post-Soviet democratic freedoms in Russia.

"I believe it will be clear to many people now why Russia passed a law regulating the activities of non-governmental organizations," Putin said. "This law is intended to prevent foreign states from meddling in Russia's domestic political life."

Russian officials allege that such foreign-funded organizations are seeking to foment discontent with the government. Those complaints rose sharply after Western-leaning reformers gained power in the former Soviet republics of Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan following large public protests.

In an echo of the Cold War, a state television broadcast late Sunday purportedly showed four British diplomats using electronic equipment concealed in a fake rock in a Moscow park to receive intelligence from agents in Russia.

The state channel Rossiya also showed copies of documents allegedly showing that one of the diplomats had authorized the transfer of money to non-governmental organizations working in Russia, including one that purportedly authorized a transfer of $41,000 in October 2004 to the Moscow Helsinki Group, which has been a persistent critic of Putin.

The Federal Security Service, or FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said that 12 NGOs had received funds under the diplomat's signature, the Interfax news agency reported.

Lyudmila Alexeyeva, head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, said the accusations were part of a campaign against groups that promote democracy and human rights and are critical of the Kremlin.

The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights warned Wednesday that Russia's lower house of parliament could request criminal proceedings against the Moscow Helsinki Group and several other NGOs.

Britain's Foreign Office has rejected allegations that its dealings with Russian NGOs were improper, saying London gave assistance openly to support the development of healthy civil society in Russia.

Putin said Wednesday that it was usual practice to expel intelligence officers working under diplomatic cover, but added that from his point of view, this would not achieve much.

"As far as I am concerned, let's suppose we expel these spies, others will come and they may be smart," he said in his televised remarks. "We'll tie ourselves in knots then trying to catch them."



Japan's rocket blasts off with land-observation satellite
Canadians vote Monday
First Romanian American Congregation collapses
 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

Bird flu claims another life in China

 

   
 

Japan, China to hold talks February 10-11

 

   
 

China's economy grew 9.9% to US$2.3 trillion

 

   
 

Latest AIDS victims put at 650,000, down 20%

 

   
 

Cross-Straits charter flights begin to peak

 

   
 

Hamas and Fatah face off in Palestinian vote

 

   
  Hamas makes strong showing in Palestinian election
   
  Iran's top nuclear negotiator heads to China for talks
   
  Bush: Bin Laden should be taken seriously
   
  Norway breaks Sri Lanka peace deadlock, talks in Geneva
   
  North Korea hints at curbing money laundering
   
  Rumsfeld: US military not overextended
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  News Talk  
  Are the Republicans exploiting the memory of 9/11?  
Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 大香伊蕉在人线国产最新75| 欧美40老熟妇| 国产91精品久久久久久久| 亚洲精品一二区| 欧美亚洲人成网站在线观看| 人人干人人干人人干| 美女脱个精光让男人桶爽| 国产在线19禁免费观看| 两个人看的www在线视频| 在线免费观看一级毛片| tom影院亚洲国产一区二区| 成成人看片在线| 久久久精品一区二区三区| 最近中文2019字幕第二页| 亚洲成av人影片在线观看| 浪货一天不做就难受呀| 免费看的黄网站| 免费视频爱爱太爽了| 国产高清一级伦理| japanese老熟妇乱子伦视频| 成人亚洲成人影院| 主人丝袜脚下的绿帽王八奴 | 免费看又黄又无码的网站| 免费黄在线观看| 欧美xxxxbbb| 国产精品亚洲欧美一级久久精品| 97se亚洲综合在线| 天堂8在线天堂bt| jealousvue熟睡入侵中| 小少呦萝粉国产| 一级毛片看一个| 成a人片亚洲日本久久| 中文字幕aⅴ人妻一区二区| 成熟女人牲交片免费观看视频| 中文无码一区二区不卡αv| 日本免费精品一区二区三区| 久久精品国产99精品国产亚洲性色| 日韩高清在线播放| 亚洲av无码片在线播放| 极品丝袜老师h系列全文阅读| 亚洲а∨精品天堂在线|