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British foreign minister in Moscow for talks

MOSCOW: Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said on the eve of his first meeting between a British minister and Vladimir Putin that Russia's acting president appeared so far to be a leader whom the West could do business with.

Praising Putin as a politician who was following the legacy of Boris Yeltsin in putting the Cold War behind him, Cook said Putin showed no signs of adopting "Fortress Russia" policies.

But Cook made clear that in his meeting on Wednesday with Putin he would pull no punches in denouncing the "excessive force" that Russia used against separatist rebels in Chechnya.

He also said he would raise with Putin the mysterious disappearance of Radio Liberty reporter Andrei Babitsky in Chechnya.

Cook's trip to Moscow is the latest in a string of visits by Western leaders eager to learn more about Putin, who is the hot favourite to win Russia's March 26 presidential election.

"Putin has shown every evidence of willingness to have contacts with the West and the outside world," Cook told reporters.

US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has also given qualified approval of a Putin presidency, describing him as a liberal reformer after a Moscow meeting earlier this month.

CHECHNYA IS MAIN IRRITANT

While omens are good for the Cook-Putin meeting, the two sides are far apart on Chechnya, ironically the issue that thrust Putin into the front runner position for the presidential race because of his uncompromising policies.

Cook said Britain and other Western nations deplored Putin's tough line on Chechnya and he would again stress a political solution was better than all-out military attacks on the region.

Moscow has vowed to continue its campaign to destroy the rebels, shrugging off criticism by saying the assault is an internal matter and is aimed at doing away with terrorism.

Cook said he would press Putin to change his mind and allow top United Nations human rights official Mary Robinson to visit the region to help make an independent assessment of the plight of civilians made homeless by the five-month-old fighting.

Cook also plans to put Putin on the spot about the fate of journalist Babitsky, allegedly handed to Chechen rebels by Russian forces on February 3 in return for several captive soldiers.

Babitsky's reports from Chechnya for his US-funded radio station had infuriated Moscow. Russian officials have said Babitsky is alive but in rebel hands. His whereabouts remain a mystery.

Russian officials said Babitsky agreed to the swap video footage of which was aired on Russian television but Chechen commanders have denied involvement in the exchange, prompting speculation he might still be in government hands.

"There are a lot of unresolved aspects of this story," Cook said.

While the meeting with Putin is the main focus of Cook's visit, he will also meet Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and leading politicians including the leaders of two liberal parties, Grigory Yavlinsky and Sergei Kiriyenko.-Reuters