Blair silent on Russian human rights
Tony Blair focused on energy security concerns in talks with the Russian president
Also In The News
|
All four British sides got their European Challenge Cup campaigns off to the perfect start with victories. |  |
Saturday, 21, Oct 2006 09:58
Prime minister Tony Blair last night failed to confront Russian president Vladimir Putin over concerns about the country's human rights record, the Daily Telegraph has claimed.
Yesterday, Mr Blair's official spokesman had indicated that the issue of human rights might be raised with Mr Putin during a dinner following an informal summit of EU leaders in Finland.
Downing Street had said that conversation between the two leaders would be led by discussions about energy supply and the current crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan, but that other topics might include the recent murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was found shot dead in her Moscow flat earlier this month, amid speculation that her death may have been linked to her ongoing criticism of the Kremlin's actions in Chechnya, where she uncovered abuses committed by Russian troops.
Russia has also attracted criticism over its increasing frosty relations with neighbouring state Georgia, after four Russian soldiers were briefly arrested by the former Soviet republic on spying charges.
Moscow subsequently deported hundreds of Georgians from Russia claiming that they were living in the country illegally and imposed a postal and transport blockade on Georgia, in addition to cracking down on businesses run by Georgians in the country.
However, the Telegraph reports that Mr Blair did not raise human rights issues with Mr Putin at last night's dinner between the Russian president and EU leaders in Lahti, instead choosing to focus his efforts on trying to secure Britain and other European countries better access to Russia's vast oil and gas reserves.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the dinner and following talks with other EU leaders, Mr Blair stressed the importance of the relationship between Europe and Russia, but said that questions of energy security should be influences by business, rather than political considerations.
"One of the reasons for the discussion this evening is to be very frank about that relationship, that it is important that if we have a business relationship based on energy, that it is business considerations and not political considerations that are coming into it, that there are rules, clear rules on either side," Mr Blair told reporters when asked whether EU leaders were concerned about human rights in Russia.
Mr Blair said that there was a "strong desire" among EU leaders for Russia to sign a 1991 energy charter that Moscow had yet to ratify, with western European countries keen to secure a commitment from Mr Putin over stable and transparent access to Russian oil and gas supplies.
The prime minister said that it was also important to ensure that Britain had a "diversity of supply", warning that the country would "lose its self-sufficiency in oil and gas in the years to come".
"It is another reason why I think it is important we replace our nuclear power stations, and it is also important to make the big drive on renewables, because this has the benefit, both of security of supply, but also climate change action as well," Mr Blair added.