UK's Russian Ambassador Calls for Extradition of Alexander Litvinenko Murder Suspect

The new British ambassador in Moscow today called on Russia to hand over Andrei Lugovoi, the chief suspect in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.

Anna Pringle said there was "significant evidence" to suggest Lugovoi had carried out the polonium killing in London in 2006.

The 53-year-old diplomat insisted Britain had not given up on its key demand that he should stand trial for Litvinenko's murder in a UK court.

"We have provided significant evidence to the Russian police in this case, sufficient for his extradition to the UK," the ambassador said during her first press conference in Moscow.

"We remain of the view that Mr Lugovoi has a case to answer in the UK. We remain keen for him to stand trial in the UK."

Pringle's comments come at a time when Britain appears keen to improve its relations with Moscow.

It follows an acrimonious two years that saw her predecessor, Tony Brenton, regularly harassed by teenage activists from the pro-Kremlin Nashi youth group.

Last summer, the then Russian president, Vladimir Putin, refused Britain's request to extradite Lugovoi, describing it as "idiotic" and suggesting it was impossible under the Russian constitution.

The UK responded by expelling four Russian diplomats, an action Moscow reciprocated.

Russian prosecutors have recently suggested that the UK has failed to provide any real proof of Lugovoi's guilt.

Last December, the Russian businessman became an MP for the ultra-nationalist Liberal party - a move tacitly endorsed by the Kremlin.

Today, Pringle stressed the positive side of Britain's relationship with Russia, pointing out that 300,000 Russians were living in London and that 170,000 Russian tourists visited the UK each year.

She added that 18,000 Russian students were currently studying at British universities.

However, she admitted that relations were "not simple". Asked whether she considered Russia a democracy, she said: "There are areas where we remain concerned - whether free and fair elections take place here."

She said Britain had "concerns on certain human rights areas", but added that Russia was not receptive to "moral lectures".

Pringle is the first women to become the UK's ambassador in Moscow.

A career diplomat, she spent the past four years as the foreign office's director of strategy and information in London and was previously the British ambassador in Prague.