Russia today proposed a UN crackdown on the abuse of political asylum for terrorist purposes, raising pressure on Western states to hand over wanted Chechen activists.
Foreign Minister Mr Sergei Lavrov was to announce the initiative, which follows Russia's deadly Beslan school siege, in his UN General Assembly address, a Russian spokesman said.
"We can't let terrorists exploit a protection designed for oppression victims, not for persecutors," said British Foreign Secretary Mr Jack Straw, pledging London would work closely with Moscow to ensure greater global cooperation on terrorism, The draft Security Council resolution seeks to speed the extradition of people accused of abusing their status as political refugees to organize or finance terrorist acts.
It also suggested compiling a consolidated UN blacklist of individuals, groups and entities involved in terrorism, who would be subject to an assets freeze, an arms embargo and "expedited extradition."
Britain has granted political asylum to Mr Akhmed Zakayev, a spokesman for Chechen rebel leader Mr Aslan Maskhadov, and spurned a Russian extradition request citing insufficient evidence.
It has also given asylum to fugitive tycoon Mr Boris Berezovsky. Russia has intensified calls to hand over Mr Zakayev after a spate of attacks by Chechen rebels across Russia, including the downing of two civil aircraft and the school siege in which more than 320 hostages died - half of them children.