Putin cancels US radio's special status

Radio Liberty's coverage of Chechnya was criticised

By Steven Eke BBC correspondent in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stripped the US-funded broadcaster, Radio Liberty, of special privileges awarded by his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, 11 years ago.

These included permission to open bureaux anywhere on Russian territory, unimpeded accreditation for the station's journalists and automatic access to Russia's internal radio-relay services.

Officials in Moscow say the station, which was set up during the Cold War and is funded by the US Congress, is guilty of biased reporting.

But they added that this had nothing to do with President Putin's decision.

They say his decision is only intended to create equal conditions for other foreign media operating in Russia.

Chechnya coverage

This prospect does not reassure everyone, however, and a number of key Russian officials have indicated that the station's output has not been to their taste.

Radio Liberty journalist Andrei Babitsky angered the Kremlin

They have previously criticised the station for what they say is material presenting Russia in a bad light.

Radio Liberty's coverage of the human rights situation in Chechnya has been a particular irritation to the Kremlin.

When the station began broadcasting in Chechen - and some other, minority languages of the same, North Caucasus region - a number of leading Russian politicians called for the station's operations in Russia to be immediately ended.

President Putin's decision falls well short of that, but it comes at a time of apparent tension between Moscow and Washington over American policies on Iraq.

Many Russian observers are saying the Kremlin is ready for some hard bargaining.

They suggest that Moscow might demand some demonstrable concessions from Washington in the run-up to a new vote in the United Nations Security Council.