Moscow, 18 May: The Russian FSB [Federal Security Service] is ready to cooperate with the UK on the case of [former FSB officer Aleksandr] Litvinenko but only after London brings excuses for groundless accusations regarding Russian special services, Col-Gen Viktor Komogorov, Russian FSB deputy director and head of the service of operational information and international relations, has said.

"We are ready for cooperation and interaction with them (UK special services) but the first step toward establishing such contacts needs to be made by the English rather than us. We are waiting for their excuses for groundless accusations of something that we are not involved in," Komogorov said in his interview to RIA Novosti on Sunday [18 May]. [Passage omitted]

One cannot talk about effective cooperation between the Russian FSB and the UK special services now because "certain relations have been established between us over the Litvinenko case", Komogorov said.

"They are accusing us of something incomprehensible, though without any grounds at all and in an absolutely far-fetched manner," Komogorov said.

"There is a lack of constructive cooperation. We hope that these times will pass but the first step toward bringing the relations between the UK special services and the Russian FSB back to normal has to be made by the English rather than us. The English have made a step away from us, let them make the first step to meet us," Komogorov believes.

He explained that the British special services are not taking part in the events held as part of FSB activities.

"They are blocking all our initiatives, the only ones to do so. This is linked to the artificial Litvinenko case, that was invented by them and politically motivated and that has absolutely no grounds for accusing the FSB over this case," Komogorov said.