It’s the title of a statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry and published today in Pravda. What it boils down to is this:
1. The British Council opened offices all over the place without permission being granted, and didn’t seek permission to do so in any case.
2. The British Council had and has no entitlement to evoke consular agreements when it is not a diplomatic or consular organisation.
3. The organisation has worked in Russia for a long time without any legal basis, with consequences in respect of tax etc.
4. The parties were seeking to remedy this with a new cooperative agreement, but diplomatic friction put this on hold.
5. The British Council has to cease operations as instructed by Russia until the agreement is put in order.
Looks about right to me. Mr Brown and Mr Miliband really do have to bite on this particular bullet. If the BC is not a consular or diplomatic organisation, why is it operating (commercially and otherwise) out of diplomatic premises with diplomatic status in Russia, India, China etc.? If it is a diplomatic organisation why is it a) a charity and b) a business? Mr Brown and Mr Miliband are like many others confused, but they have a responsibility to sort out their confusion and not to drag the country they represent further into a mess with a major country in which Britain is the largest investor. As Ted Kennedy said today, change.
PS. The picture is of Kirsten Hugland, the latest Miss America. If Pravda can put her on the same page as a rant about the British Council, so can I.
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