Britain won't accuse Russian govt.

Published: July 12, 2008 at 12:49 AM

LONDON, July 12 (UPI) -- The British government blames the death of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko on a single person, not the Russian government, a spokesman said Friday.

The statement suggested that Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government is trying to disavow a claim by a security agent that there are "very strong indications that it was a state action," The Telegraph reported.

Litvinenko was poisoned in London in 2006 and died several weeks later. Before his death, he blamed then-President Vladimir Putin.

Russia has refused the extradition of Andrei Luguvoi, also a former KGB agent, who is the only named suspect in the case.

Brown met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit in Japan.

"I made it clear to President Medvedev that the Litvinenko issue would not be closed," Brown said later. "We have justice to do on the part of someone who was murdered on British soil and it is not an acceptable position to be where we are."

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
NBA: Denver 111, Houston 101 (15 min)
COL BKB: New Mexico 96, Nor. Ariz. 57 (17 min)
COL BKB: Clemson 80, East Carolina 63 (20 min)
NBA: LA Lakers 107, Milwaukee 106 (OT) (42 min)
Group says exchanges likely to fail (47 min)
NHL: Chicago 3, St. Louis 0 (48 min)
Crestor may be prescribed to healthy (49 min)
fark
Theme of Farktography Contest No. 241: "White". Details and rules in first post. LGT next week's...
It's a bad day when you fall and impale yourself on a fence. But you know god really hates you when...
Top Pictures of the decade. Come for the Obamas and stay for the Squirrel-Fu action
Got a RV equipped with GPS, an empty Nevada desert and a lot of time on your hand? Then you too...
Student's bold strokes in a high school art class lands him a jail sentence, sex offender title
Photoshop this raised beef