Russia Accuses Georgia Of 'Provocation' In Uranium Case

rferl.org ^ | January 27, 2007

[Tailgunner Joe]

January 27, 2007 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused Georgia of a "provocation" in the case of a Russian citizen who was arrested and imprisoned in Georgia after allegedly trying to sell 100 grams of highly enriched uranium.

Relations between Tbilisi and Moscow are deeply strained over the fate of two regions of Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, that are seeking independence or incorporation into Russia.

Officials say the Russian man was arrested in 2006 in a sting operation by Georgian agents, but that the case was not publicized by Georgia until this week.

Lavrov's criticism of Tbilisi came on January 26.

The source of the uranium has not been confirmed.

But AP reported today that the suspect initially investigators that the material came from the Siberian city of Novosibirsk but that he later retracted that claim.

A Georgian official quoted by AP suggested that Moscow has been uncooperative in the probe, although the agency said Russian authorities countered that they were provided too small a sample of the material to determine its origin.

Highly enriched uranium, in sufficient quantities, could be used to make a nuclear bomb.

The spat between Georgia and Russia has extended to trade, diplomatic, and visa disputes.

Tbilisi has withdrawn its bilateral backing of Russian membership of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and set strict conditions on Moscow for its support.

[Tailgunner Joe]

Georgian officials say their agent made contact with the man selling contraband uranium in South Ossetia, which is widely seen as a regional epicenter for smuggling.

Georgia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement late Thursday saying the uranium sting highlighted the need for international observer missions in both regions, a proposal that Tbilisi has been pushing in recent months. Russia has peacekeepers in both regions, which have been under the control of unrecognized separatist governments since fighting ended in the mid-1990s.

In December, a Georgian legislator suggested that a physics institute in Abkhazia could have been the source of the radioactive isotope polonium-210 that was used to fatally poison exiled Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko in London in November. - LINK

[adam_smith_76]

One would think they'd be happy that such a dangerous substance was apprehended. One would also think they'd be highly interested in helping Britain track down the source of that polonium. (sarcasm, of course)

[M. Espinola]

Putin just loves issuing "provocations" (Kremlin threats). On average there at least two per week.