Russian Duma Appeals To Europe Amid British Spy Scandal

(RFE/RL) 25 January 2005 -- Russian lawmakers today called upon their European colleagues to condemn the funding of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) by foreign secret services.

The debate in the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, followed accusations leveled by Russia's Federal Secret Service (FSB) earlier this week that four members of the British embassy in Moscow spied on the Russian government and funded a number of unspecified nongovernmental groups.

The plea to European parliaments is contained in a resolution adopted by 415 members of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament.

The document contains a direct reference to recent allegations that British spies are funding a number of Russian NGOs.

The British government has not commented on the accusations. Russian NGOs have said the FSB accusations are targeting critics of the Kremlin.

(ITAR-TASS, Interfax, RIA Novosti)