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British MP urges halt of Russian foreign minister's visit to London over journalist expulsion

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A British MP said Britain should rescind its invitation to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov until Russia provides a full explanation for its expulsion of a British journalist, The Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday.

A British MP said Britain should rescind its invitation to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov until Russia provides a full explanation for its expulsion of a British journalist, The Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The Guardian's Moscow Correspondent, Luke Harding, was refused reentry to Russia on Saturday after being absent from the country for two months. The journalist was put on a plane back to Britain after an airport security official reportedly told him: "For you, Russia is closed."

Labour MP Chris Bryant requested an urgent statement from the Foreign Office on the issue. He said the British government should state that Lavrov is "not welcome in this country while British journalists are not welcome in Russia."

Lavrov is scheduled to visit Britain on February 14-15. The British minister for European affairs, David Lidington, said Harding's expulsion will be discussed during a meeting between Lavrov and British Foreign Secretary William Hague.

In a statement issued late on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Harding was expelled for violating regulations governing the work of foreign correspondents in the country, and in particular, for failing to obtain a new accreditation card before leaving Russia in November.

The British journalist will be able to continue his work in Russia if he settles accreditation issues with the Russian Foreign Ministry's press and information department, the ministry said.

A Guardian spokesperson said the newspaper had "still not received an adequate explanation" for Harding's forced removal.

A "failure to collect his press card before leaving urgently on a trip to London is manifestly not a plausible reason for detaining Luke at the airport and refusing him entry to Russia," he said.

Harding has fallen foul of the Russian authorities on a number of occasions, mainly for filing articles claiming Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has a $40 billion offshore account. The journalist was also responsible for reporting on U.S. diplomatic cables leaked to The Guardian by WikiLeaks, including allegations that Russia under the rule of Vladimir Putin has become a "virtual mafia state".

Lavrov said on Tuesday the journalist had repeatedly failed to notify the Russian security services about his trips in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region to security zones where counter terrorist operations were being carried out.

Reporters Without Borders said earlier on Tuesday it was "deeply disturbed" by Harding's expulsion, which they described as a "heavy-handed attempt to get journalists to censor themselves and to prevent impartial coverage of what is happening in Russia."

Britain's National Union of Journalists also condemned the deportation.

MOSCOW, February 9 (RIA Novosti)

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