Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07MOSCOW5790
2007-12-12 13:28:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Moscow
Cable title:  

RUSSIA UNLIKELY TO BACK DOWN ON BRITISH COUNCIL

Tags:  PREL SCUL RU UK 
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VZCZCXRO9826
PP RUEHAG RUEHROV
DE RUEHMO #5790/01 3461328
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 121328Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5810
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 005790 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2017
TAGS: PREL SCUL RU UK
SUBJECT: RUSSIA UNLIKELY TO BACK DOWN ON BRITISH COUNCIL
CLOSURES

REF: LONDON 4501

Classified By: Ambassador William J. Burns: Reasons 1.4 (b, d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 005790

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2017
TAGS: PREL SCUL RU UK
SUBJECT: RUSSIA UNLIKELY TO BACK DOWN ON BRITISH COUNCIL
CLOSURES

REF: LONDON 4501

Classified By: Ambassador William J. Burns: Reasons 1.4 (b, d).


1. (C) Summary: UK diplomats do not expect the GOR to back
down from its threat to close two British Council centers on
January 1, with the latest salvo from the MFA making the
"tactical mistake" of linking Russian actions to the July
measures taken by the UK in response to the Russian failure
to cooperate in the Litvinenko investigation. Concluding
that this campaign is FSB-driven, the UK Embassy expects the
GOR to forcibly shut down the St. Petersburg-based British
Council on or shortly after January 1, and the UK will not
preemptively move Council operations to its Consulate in
order to ward off a Russian raid. The Yekaterinburg-based
British Council, due to its co-location with the Consulate,
is unlikely to be raided but will face mounting unofficial
barriers to conducting outside programs. The largest British
Council operation in Russia, located in Moscow's Foreign
Literature Library along with our American Center and
Alliance Francaise, has not been a target of Russian
government efforts. The UK will attempt to shame the GOR
over the collateral damage that thousands of Russian students
will face, and seeks strong EU condemnation, but no U.S.
action, at this stage. We will reinforce our concerns
privately with senior GOR officials. End Summary


2. (C) In December 11-12 meetings, UK emboffs provided an
update on Russia's threat to close the British Council
centers located in St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg on
January 1, 2008 (reftel),underscoring again that Russian
actions would be in violation of its international treaty
obligations under the Vienna Convention and the legally
binding 1994 UK-Russia Agreement on cooperation in the fields
of education, science and culture. Following FM Lavrov's
assertion during a recent diplomatic reception that the
presence of the British Councils was illegal, UK Ambassador
Brenton sent a letter citing Russian violations of its treaty
commitments. In a letter dated December 7, Deputy Foreign
Minister Titov responded. The letter:

-- cited the "unfriendly actions" taken by the UK in July

(i.e. the expulsion of four Russian diplomats, cessation of
talks on a bilateral visa facilitation regime, and halt to
intel cooperation, in response to the lack of GOR cooperation
in the Litvinenko poisoning case);
-- incorrectly set out Russia's legal basis for action; and
-- reiterated that the two British Councils would be closed
on January 1, absent a revocation of the July actions.


3. (C) The UK emboffs emphasized that while the GOR had
targeted the British Councils since 2004, following Russian
oligarch Boris Berezovskiy's residence and asylum in London,
Titov's letter made the "tactical error" of linking in a
ham-handed manner the British Councils' existence to the
Lugavoy prosecution. The UK Embassy views Russian actions as
orchestrated by the FSB, with several of its Embassy staff
under intensified and unpleasant scrutiny. (Note: Brenton
remains the subject of condemnation by the Kremlin-sponsored
youth organization "Nashi," whose activists recently called
for his diplomatic expulsion and continue to dog his public
appearances. However, presumably under instructions, the
obviously paid activists have not resumed their sit-in
outside the UK Embassy and ceased harassing Brenton's
family.) Separately, the GOR sent notice of an outstanding
100 million ruble Council tax obligation, following a
previous round of tax inspections that had resulted in
supplemental payments. The linkage drawn to UK policy
measures taken in response to the Litvinenko poisoning, the
UK diplomats noted, only served to underscore that the GOR
was flaunting its treaty commitments for ulterior objectives.


4. (C) While Brenton is meeting with DFM Titov again today,
the UK Embassy sees no Russian mood for compromise, with both
St. Petersburg Governor Matvienko and the city's
international affairs director declining to meet Brenton on
December 11 to discuss the Council's status. (Note: On
December 12, MFA spokesman Kaminin went public with Russian
threats, and charges that the British Council centers were
operating illegally.) Instead, the UK Embassy expects the
GOR to forcibly close down the St. Petersburg Council on or
shortly after January 1. Given the experience of the 2004
raid by tax authorities, the UK is braced for the worst: the
breaking down of doors, seizure of equipment, and potential
harassment of local employees. (While its UK staff are all
diplomats, the Council's local employees could be subject to
detention.) The St. Petersburg-based British Council is the
most vulnerable, because of the high profile of its Director
(who is Lord Kinnock's son) and due to the fact that it is
not co-located inside the UK Consulate, as is the case in
Yekaterinburg. While the GOR has sent four diplomatic notes
protesting the Yekaterinburg British Council's use of

MOSCOW 00005790 002 OF 002


diplomatic facilities, the UK Embassy predicts that no action
will be taken against that Council, due to local officials'
appreciation for the trade office and visa services provided;
instead, the Council will continue to face unofficial
barriers in hosting outside programs.


5. (C) The UK does not plan to make it easy for Russia by
preemptively relocating British Council operations and
personnel to the St. Petersburg Consulate, although in the
event of the Council's forced closure that will be its
fallback position. Instead, it hopes to shame the GOR with
the collateral damage that its actions against the Council
will cause for the thousands of Russian students who use the
facilities, both as a resource and as a test-taking center
for those seeking UK university admissions (and their numbers
include many of the nation's elite off-spring).


6. (SBU) Curiously enough, the largest and highest profile
British Council presence in Russia, the one in Moscow, has
not been the subject of threats by the GOR. The Moscow-based
British Council center is located in the Foreign Literature
Library along with our American Center, Alliance Francaise,
and the cultural centers of several other embassies. The UK
Embassy had no clear explanation why Moscow was untouched,
but speculated that the fact that Russia had a cultural
center in London was probably the reason why.


7. (C) Comment: The UK Embassy tells us that it is seeking
a strong and coordinated EU condemnation of Russian actions,
which also violate EU-Russia agreements on cultural
cooperation, but is not looking for U.S. involvement at this
stage. We plan to underscore privately with senior GOR
officials the negative message sent by Russian actions, and
recommend that in the event of the forcible closure of the
two British Council centers that we coordinate our public
message with the Germans and the French -- whose criticism is
more likely to register with senior GOR officials at this
time. (Ambassador discussed this informally with French and
German counterparts December 12, and also stressed our
concern privately to First Deputy FM Denisov -- who was
unmoved.) Complicating the issue for the French is the
opening of their Yekaterinburg consulate in December, with
the grand opening ceremonies planned for January. FYI, the
U.S. with its 32 American Corners and French with its 12
Alliance Francaise centers have the most extensive cultural
outreach operations across Russia of western countries.
BURNS