Andrei Lugovoi, the man at the center of a diplomatic storm between Britain and Russia AP PHOTO

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he wanted the best possible relationship with Russia but said the move was a necessary response to Moscow's refusal to cooperate.

"I have no apologies for the action that we have taken, but I do want a resolution of this issue as soon as possible," Brown said in Berlin.

Russia quickly threatened retaliation, marking a new low point in Britain's relations with Moscow under President Vladimir Putin.

Alexander Litvinenko died Nov. 23 in a London hospital after ingesting radioactive polonium-210, a rare isotope. He accused Putin of being behind his poisoning.

British prosecutors have named Russian businessman and former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi as the chief suspect, and Litvinenko said he first felt ill after meeting Lugovoi and business partner Dmitry Kovtun at a London hotel.

But Russia has refused to extradite him, saying its constitution prevents that.

"The Russian government has failed to register how seriously we treat this case, despite lobbying at the highest level and clear explanations of our need for a satisfactory response," Foreign Secretary David Miliband told lawmakers in London.

In deciding to expel foreign diplomats, the new government led by Brown has used a sanction that was never applied under former Premier Tony Blair. Britain last ousted diplomats in 1996, the Foreign Office said.

The Japan Times Weekly: July 21, 2007
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